ainb

Old Irish

Alternative forms

  • ainib

Etymology

From Proto-Celtic *an- (“un-”) +‎ *wids (root noun), literally “lacking knowledge” (ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *weyd- (“to see”)). Ainb was an irregular consonant-stem adjective during the eighth century, but by the ninth-century Milan glosses it had become an i-stem.

Adjective

ainb

  1. ignorant

Inflection

The inflection as attested in the Milan glosses was:

i-stem
singular masculine feminine neuter
nominative ainb ainb ainb
vocative ainb
accusative ainb ainb
genitive ainb ainbe ainb
dative ainb ainb ainb
plural masculine feminine/neuter
nominative ainbi ainbi
vocative ainbi
accusative ainbi
genitive ainb*
ainbe
dative ainbib

*not when substantivized

However, the irregular genitive singular ainbfeth is also attested in Bretha Nemed law tracts. It has also appeared, corrupted, in the form anfeich.

  • ainfis (“ignorance”)

Mutation

Mutation of ainb
radical lenition nasalization
ainb
(pronounced with /h/ in h-prothesis environments)		 ainb n-ainb

Note: Certain mutated forms of some words can never occur in Old Irish.
All possible mutated forms are displayed for convenience.

Further reading

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