gaoth

Irish

Pronunciation

(Munster) IPA^(key): /ɡeːh/^[1]
(Connacht, Ulster) IPA^(key): /ɡiː/, (older) /ɡɯː/^[2]^[3]

Etymology 1

From Old Irish gáeth.^[4]

Noun

gaoth f (genitive singular gaoithe, nominative plural gaotha)

wind, a breeze
- "Sigma", by Secret Garden
  ’S í an ghaoth do ghuth,
  ’s í an bháisteach do dheora...
  The wind is thy voice,
  the rain is thy tears...
empty talk, bombast
flatulence
hint, suggestion
Synonym: gaothach
air
(literary) breath

Declension

Declension of gaoth (second declension)

bare forms
	singular	plural
nominative	gaoth	gaotha
vocative	a ghaoth	a ghaotha
genitive	gaoithe	gaoth
dative	gaoth gaoith (archaic, dialectal)	gaotha

forms with the definite article
	singular	plural
nominative	an ghaoth	na gaotha
genitive	na gaoithe	na ngaoth
dative	leis an ngaoth leis an ngaoith (archaic, dialectal) don ghaoth don ghaoith (archaic, dialectal)	leis na gaotha

Alternative plural: gaothanna (Cois Fharraige)

Derived terms

Etymology 2

From Old Irish gáeth (“estuary”).^[5]

Noun

gaoth m (genitive singular gaoith, nominative plural gaotha)

inlet of sea, estuary

Declension

Declension of gaoth (first declension)

bare forms
	singular	plural
nominative	gaoth	gaotha
vocative	a ghaoith	a ghaotha
genitive	gaoith	gaoth
dative	gaoth	gaotha

forms with the definite article
	singular	plural
nominative	an gaoth	na gaotha
genitive	an ghaoith	na ngaoth
dative	leis an ngaoth don ghaoth	leis na gaotha

Alternative genitive singular: gaotha

Derived terms

Gaoth Dobhair

Etymology 3

From Old Irish gáeth (“wise, skilful”).^[6]

Adjective

gaoth (genitive singular masculine gaoith, genitive singular feminine gaoithe, plural gaotha, comparative gaoithe)

(literary) wise, sagacious, shrewd, intelligent

Declension

Declension of *gaoth*
Positive	singular		plural
Positive	masculine	feminine	strong noun	weak noun
nominative	gaoth	ghaoth	gaotha; ghaotha²
vocative	ghaoith	ghaoth	gaotha
genitive	ghaoith	gaoithe	gaotha	gaoth
dative	gaoth; ghaoth¹	ghaoth; ghaoith (archaic)	gaotha; ghaotha²

Comparative	níos gaoithe
Superlative	is gaoithe

¹ When the preceding noun is lenited and governed by the definite article.
² When the preceding noun ends in a slender consonant.

Mutation

Mutated forms of *gaoth*
radical	lenition	eclipsis
gaoth	ghaoth	ngaoth

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

References

^ Sjoestedt, M. L. (1931) Phonétique d’un parler irlandais de Kerry [Phonetics of an Irish Dialect of Kerry] (in French), Paris: Librairie Ernest Leroux, § 100, page 55
^ Finck, F. N. (1899) Die araner mundart [The Aran Dialect] (in German), Zweiter Band: Wörterbuch [Second volume: Dictionary], Marburg: Elwert’sche Verlagsbuchhandlung, page 131
^ Quiggin, E. C. (1906) A Dialect of Donegal, Cambridge University Press, § 182, page 70
^ Gregory Toner, Sharon Arbuthnot, Máire Ní Mhaonaigh, Marie-Luise Theuerkauf, Dagmar Wodtko, editors (2019), “2 gáeth”, in eDIL: Electronic Dictionary of the Irish Language
^ Gregory Toner, Sharon Arbuthnot, Máire Ní Mhaonaigh, Marie-Luise Theuerkauf, Dagmar Wodtko, editors (2019), “3 gáeth”, in eDIL: Electronic Dictionary of the Irish Language
^ Gregory Toner, Sharon Arbuthnot, Máire Ní Mhaonaigh, Marie-Luise Theuerkauf, Dagmar Wodtko, editors (2019), “1 gáeth”, in eDIL: Electronic Dictionary of the Irish Language

Scottish Gaelic

Etymology

From Old Irish gáeth.

Pronunciation

IPA^(key): /ɡ̊ɯː/

Noun

gaoth f (genitive singular gaoithe, plural gaothan)

wind
Tha a' ghaoth ag èiridh. ― The wind is rising.
(vulgar) flatulence

Declension

Declension of *gaoth* (class IIa feminine noun)
indefinite
	singular	plural
nominative	gaoth	gaothan
genitive	gaoithe	ghaoth
dative	gaoith	gaothan; gaothaibh^✝

definite
	singular	plural
nominative	(a') ghaoth	(na) gaothan
genitive	(na) gaoithe	(nan) gaoth
dative	(a') ghaoith	(na) gaothan; gaothaibh^✝
vocative	ghaoth	ghaotha

^✝ obsolete form, used until the 19th century

Alternative genitive singular: gaoitheadh (Uist, Barra)

Derived terms

crann-gaoithe (“wind turbine”)
gaoth tro tholl (“draught”)
gaoth-ghrèine (“solar wind”)
gaothach (“windy; flatulent”)
gobhlan-gaoithe (“swallow”)
muileann-gaoithe (“windmill”)
sgèile gaoithe (“wind scale”)
sruth-gaoith (“draught”)
tuathanas-gaoithe (“wind farm”)

References

Edward Dwelly (1911) “gaoth”, in Faclair Gàidhlig gu Beurla le Dealbhan [The Illustrated Gaelic–English Dictionary]‎^[1], 10th edition, Edinburgh: Birlinn Limited, →ISBN
Gregory Toner, Sharon Arbuthnot, Máire Ní Mhaonaigh, Marie-Luise Theuerkauf, Dagmar Wodtko, editors (2019), “2 gáeth”, in eDIL: Electronic Dictionary of the Irish Language

[1] Sjoestedt, M. L. (1931) Phonétique d’un parler irlandais de Kerry [Phonetics of an Irish Dialect of Kerry] (in French), Paris: Librairie Ernest Leroux, § 100, page 55

[2] Finck, F. N. (1899) Die araner mundart [The Aran Dialect] (in German), Zweiter Band: Wörterbuch [Second volume: Dictionary], Marburg: Elwert’sche Verlagsbuchhandlung, page 131

[3] Quiggin, E. C. (1906) A Dialect of Donegal, Cambridge University Press, § 182, page 70

[4] Gregory Toner, Sharon Arbuthnot, Máire Ní Mhaonaigh, Marie-Luise Theuerkauf, Dagmar Wodtko, editors (2019), “2 gáeth”, in eDIL: Electronic Dictionary of the Irish Language

[5] Gregory Toner, Sharon Arbuthnot, Máire Ní Mhaonaigh, Marie-Luise Theuerkauf, Dagmar Wodtko, editors (2019), “3 gáeth”, in eDIL: Electronic Dictionary of the Irish Language

[6] Gregory Toner, Sharon Arbuthnot, Máire Ní Mhaonaigh, Marie-Luise Theuerkauf, Dagmar Wodtko, editors (2019), “1 gáeth”, in eDIL: Electronic Dictionary of the Irish Language

[1]

[2]

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Irish

Pronunciation

Etymology 1

Noun

Declension

Derived terms

Etymology 2

Noun

Declension

Derived terms

Etymology 3

Adjective

Declension

Mutation

References

Further reading

Scottish Gaelic

Etymology

Pronunciation

Noun

Declension

Derived terms

References