balb
Catalan
Etymology
Inherited from Latin balbus (“stammering”). Doublet of bovo.
Pronunciation
Adjective
balb (feminine balba, masculine plural balbs, feminine plural balbes)
- (archaic) stammering
- numb
Derived terms
- balbar
- balbejar
- balbís
- balbotejar
- desbalbar
- embalbir
Related terms
Further reading
- “balb”, in Diccionari de la llengua catalana [Dictionary of the Catalan Language] (in Catalan), second edition, Institute of Catalan Studies [Catalan: Institut d'Estudis Catalans], April 2007
- “balb”, in Gran Diccionari de la Llengua Catalana, Grup Enciclopèdia Catalana, 2025.
- “balb” in Diccionari normatiu valencià, Acadèmia Valenciana de la Llengua.
- “balb” in Diccionari català-valencià-balear, Antoni Maria Alcover and Francesc de Borja Moll, 1962.
Old Irish
Etymology
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): [balβ]
Adjective
balb
- dumb, silent
- stammering, inarticulate, murmurous (of speech)
- (of water, weather) still, calm
Declension
| singular | masculine | feminine | neuter |
|---|---|---|---|
| nominative | balb | balb | balb |
| vocative | bailb* balb** | ||
| accusative | balb | bailb | |
| genitive | bailb | bailbe | bailb |
| dative | balb | bailb | balb |
| plural | masculine | feminine/neuter | |
| nominative | bailb | balba | |
| vocative | balbu balba† | ||
| accusative | balbu balba† | ||
| genitive | balb | ||
| dative | balbaib | ||
*modifying a noun whose vocative is different from its nominative
**modifying a noun whose vocative is identical to its nominative
† not when substantivized
Descendants
Mutation
| radical | lenition | nasalization |
|---|---|---|
| balb | balb pronounced with /β-/ |
mbalb |
Note: Certain mutated forms of some words can never occur in Old Irish.
All possible mutated forms are displayed for convenience.
References
- Gregory Toner, Sharon Arbuthnot, Máire Ní Mhaonaigh, Marie-Luise Theuerkauf, Dagmar Wodtko, editors (2019), “balb”, in eDIL: Electronic Dictionary of the Irish Language