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Definition 2024


eala

eala

Irish

Etymology

From Middle Irish ela, elae, from Old Irish elu, from Proto-Celtic *eli- (swan), from Proto-Indo-European *h₁el- (swan). Cognates within Celtic include Breton alarc’h, Cornish alargh, Welsh alarch, and outside Celtic Latin olor and Ancient Greek ἐλέα (eléa, marsh bird).

Pronunciation

  • IPA(key): /ˈalˠə/

Noun

eala f (genitive singular eala, nominative plural ealaí)

  1. swan
    • 1899, Franz Nikolaus Finck, Die araner mundart, Marburg: Elwert’sche Verlagsbuchhandlung, vol. II, p. 22:
      xøn̄ik mē ȧlə eŕ ə l̄ox.
      conventional orthography: Chonaic mé eala ar an loch.
      I saw a swan on the lake.
    • 1899, Franz Nikolaus Finck, Die araner mundart, Marburg: Elwert’sche Verlagsbuchhandlung, vol. II, p. 22:
      əs mō šḱihān ən ȧlə n̄ā šḱihān ǵē.
      conventional orthography: Is mó sciathán an eala ná sciathán gé.
      The wing of the swan is larger than the wing of a goose.
    • 1899, Franz Nikolaus Finck, Die araner mundart, Marburg: Elwert’sche Verlagsbuchhandlung, vol. II, p. 22:
      xuə šȧxt n-ȧlə harm̥ sn̥ ēr əńú.
      conventional orthography: Chuaigh seacht n-eala tharam san aer inniu.
      Seven swans went past me in the air today.

Declension

  • Archaic dative singular: ealainn

Mutation

Irish mutation
Radical Eclipsis with h-prothesis with t-prothesis
eala n-eala heala t-eala
Note: Some of these forms may be hypothetical. Not every
possible mutated form of every word actually occurs.

References

  • Matasović, Ranko (2009), “*elV-”, in Etymological Dictionary of Proto-Celtic (Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series; 9), Leiden: Brill, ISBN 978-90-04-17336-1, pages 114–15
  • 1 ela” in Dictionary of the Irish Language, Royal Irish Academy, 1913–76.
  • “eala” in Foclóir Gaeḋilge agus Béarla, Irish Texts Society, 1927, by Patrick S. Dinneen.
  • "eala" in Foclóir Gaeilge-Béarla, An Gúm, 1977, by Niall Ó Dónaill.

Old English

Alternative forms

ǣlā , hēlā

Interjection

ēalā

  1. oh!, alas!
    Ēala! ðæt hit wurde.
    Alas!, that it might be.

Descendants


Old Frisian

Interjection

ēala

  1. hail!
    Eala, frya Fresena!
    Hail, free Frisians!

Scottish Gaelic

Etymology

From Old Irish ela.

Pronunciation

  • IPA(key): /ˈɛlˠa/

Noun

eala f (genitive singular ealaidh, plural ealachan)

  1. swan