athair

See also: Athair

Irish

Pronunciation

Etymology 1

  • From Old Irish athair, from Proto-Celtic *ɸatīr, from Proto-Indo-European *ph₂tḗr.[9] Doublet of paidir.

    Noun

    athair m (genitive singular athar, nominative plural aithreacha)

    1. father (male parent; term of address for a priest; male ancestor more remote than a parent, a progenitor)
      Fuair m’athair bás.
      My father died.
    2. ancestor
    3. sire
    Declension
    Declension of athair (fifth declension)
    bare forms
    singular plural
    nominative athair aithreacha
    vocative a athair a aithreacha
    genitive athar aithreacha
    dative athair aithreacha
    forms with the definite article
    singular plural
    nominative an t-athair na haithreacha
    genitive an athar na n-aithreacha
    dative leis an athair
    don athair
    leis na haithreacha
    Quotations
    • 1899, Franz Nikolaus Finck, Die araner mundart [The Aran Dialect], volume II (overall work in German), Marburg: Elwert’sche Verlagsbuchhandlung, page 21:
      ḱē n xȳ ə wil tū, ə æhŕ̥?
      [Cén chaoi a bhfuil tú, a athair?]
      How are you, father? [could be addressed to one’s own father or to a priest, as in English]
    • 1899, Franz Nikolaus Finck, Die araner mundart [The Aran Dialect], volume II (overall work in German), Marburg: Elwert’sche Verlagsbuchhandlung, page 22:æhŕəxə [m’aithreacha]my fathers, my ancestors
    • 1899, Franz Nikolaus Finck, Die araner mundart [The Aran Dialect], volume II (overall work in German), Marburg: Elwert’sche Verlagsbuchhandlung, page 22:h-æhŕəxə nȳfə [na haithreacha naofa]the Church Fathers
    Coordinate terms
    Derived terms

    Etymology 2

    (This etymology is missing or incomplete. Please add to it, or discuss it at the Etymology scriptorium.)

    Noun

    athair f (genitive singular athrach)

    1. creeper (plant that grows by creeping)
    Declension
    Declension of athair (fifth declension, no plural)
    bare forms
    singular
    nominative athair
    vocative a athair
    genitive athrach
    dative athair
    forms with the definite article
    singular
    nominative an athair
    genitive na hathrach
    dative leis an athair
    don athair
    Derived terms
    • athair thalún (milfoil, yarrow)

    Etymology 3

    Rebracketing of nathair. Compare similar rebracketings in the cognates English adder and German Otter.

    Noun

    athair f (genitive singular athrach)

    1. alternative form of nathair (snake)
      athair nimhevenomous snake
    Declension
    Declension of athair (fifth declension, no plural)
    bare forms
    singular
    nominative athair
    vocative a athair
    genitive athrach
    dative athair
    forms with the definite article
    singular
    nominative an athair
    genitive na hathrach
    dative leis an athair
    don athair

    Mutation

    Mutated forms of athair
    radical eclipsis with h-prothesis with t-prothesis
    athair n-athair hathair t-athair

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

    References

    Further reading

    • Ó Dónaill, Niall (1977), “athair”, in Foclóir Gaeilge–Béarla, Dublin: An Gúm, →ISBN
    • Dinneen, Patrick S. (1927), “aṫair”, in Foclóir Gaeḋilge agus Béarla, 2nd edition, Dublin: Irish Texts Society, page 64; reprinted with additions 1996, →ISBN

    Old Irish

    Alternative forms

    Etymology

  • From Proto-Celtic *ɸatīr, from Proto-Indo-European *ph₂tḗr. Doublet of paiter.

    Pronunciation

    • IPA(key): /ˈa.θəɾʲ/
      • (Blasse) [ˈa.θɪɾʲ]
      • (Griffith) [ˈa.θɨɾʲ]

    Noun

    athair m (genitive athar, nominative plural aithir)

    1. father
      • c. 800–825, Diarmait, Milan Glosses on the Psalms, published in Thesaurus Palaeohibernicus (reprinted 1987, Dublin Institute for Advanced Studies), edited and with translations by Whitley Stokes and John Strachan, vol. I, pp. 7–483, Ml. 124b3
        Ní du ṡémigud pectha at·ber-som inso .i. combad dó fa·cherred: “ní sní cetid·deirgni ⁊ ní sní dud·rigni nammá”; acht is do chuingid dílguda dosom, amal du·rolged dïa aithrib íar n-immarmus.
        It is not to palliate sin that he says this, i.e. so that he might put it for this: “we have not done it first and we have not done it only”; but it is to seek forgiveness for himself, as his fathers had been forgiven after sinning.
        (literally, “…as had been forgiven to his fathers”)

    Inflection

    Masculine r-stem
    singular dual plural
    nominative athair athairL aithir
    vocative athair athairL aithrea
    accusative athairN athairL aithrea
    genitive athar athar aithreN, athraeN
    dative athairL aithrib, athraib aithrib, athraib
    Initial mutations of a following adjective:
    • H = triggers aspiration
    • L = triggers lenition
    • N = triggers nasalization

    Derived terms

    Descendants

    • Irish: athair
    • Manx: ayr
      • English: ayr
    • Scottish Gaelic: athair

    Mutation

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

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

    Further reading

    Scottish Gaelic

    Etymology

  • From Old Irish athair, from Proto-Celtic *ɸatīr, from Proto-Indo-European *ph₂tḗr. Doublet of paidir.

    Pronunciation

    Noun

    athair m (genitive singular athar, plural athraichean)

    1. father

    Declension

    Declension of athair (type Vb masculine noun)
    indefinite
    singular plural
    nominative athair athraichean
    genitive athar athraichean
    dative athair athraichean
    definite
    singular plural
    nominative (an) t-athair (na) h-athraichean
    genitive (an) athar (nan) athraichean
    dative (an) athair (na) h-athraichean
    vocative athair athraichean

    Antonyms

    Derived terms

    Mutation

    Mutation of athair
    radical eclipsis with h-prothesis with t-prothesis
    athair n-athair h-athair t-athair

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

    References

    1. ^ Ladefoged, Jenny; Ladefoged, Peter; Turk, Alice; Hind, Kevin (5 February 1996), “Word List for Scottish Gaelic (Great Bernera, Lewis, Outer Hebrides, Scotland)”, in The UCLA Phonetics Lab Archive[1], Los Angeles, CA: UCLA Department of Linguistics
    2. ^ Oftedal, M. (1956), A linguistic survey of the Gaelic dialects of Scotland, Vol. III: The Gaelic of Leurbost, Isle of Lewis, Oslo: Norsk Tidsskrift for Sprogvidenskap
    3. ^ Mac Gill-Fhinnein, Gordon (1966), Gàidhlig Uidhist a Deas, Dublin: Institiúid Ard-Léinn Bhaile Átha Cliath, page 112
    4. ^ Borgstrøm, Carl Hj. (1937), The dialect of Barra in the Outer Hebrides, Oslo: Norsk Tidsskrift for Sprogvidenskap

    Further reading