deirfiúr

Irish

Alternative forms

• deirbhshiúr (obsolete)
• driofúr (nonstandard)

Etymology

PIE word
*dóru

From Old Irish derbṡiur, from derb (“certain”) +‎ siur (“sister”), from Proto-Celtic *swesūr, from Proto-Indo-European *swésōr.

Pronunciation

• (Kerry) IPA^(key): /dʲɾʲəˈfˠuːɾˠ/ (as if spelled driofúr)
• (Cork) IPA^(key): /dʲɾʲəˈfʲuːɾˠ/ (as if spelled drifiúr, only some speakers)
• (Waterford) IPA^(key): /dʲɛɾʲəˈfˠuːɾˠ/ (as if spelled deiriofúr)
• (Aran) IPA^(key): /ˈdʲɾʲauhəɾˠ/ (as if spelled dreabhthar), (less often) /ˈdʲɾʲɛhuːɾˠ/ (as if spelled dreithiúr)
• (Cois Fharraige) IPA^(key): /ˈdʲɾʲauɾˠ/ (as if spelled dreabhar)
• (West Connemara, South Mayo) IPA^(key): /ˈdʲɾʲɛhuːɾˠ/ (as if spelled dreithiúr)
• (Achill) IPA^(key): /ˈdʲɛɾʲəfʲəɾˠ/ (as if spelled deirfear)
• (Erris) IPA^(key): /ˈdʲɛɾʲəhuːɾˠ/ (as if spelled deirthiúr)
• (Ulster) IPA^(key): /ˈdʲɛɾʲəfʲaɾˠ/, /ˈdʲɛɾʲəfʲəɾˠ/ (as if spelled deirfeár or deirfear)

Noun

deirfiúr f (genitive singular deirféar, nominative plural deirfiúracha)

1. sister

Declension

Declension of deirfiúr

Irregular

Bare forms Case Singular Plural Nominative deirfiúr deirfiúracha Vocative a dheirfiúr a dheirfiúracha Genitive deirféar deirfiúracha Dative deirfiúr deirfír (archaic, dialectal) deirfiúracha

Forms with the definite article Case Singular Plural Nominative an deirfiúr na deirfiúracha Genitive na deirféar na ndeirfiúracha Dative leis an deirfiúr leis an deirfír (archaic, dialectal) don deirfiúr don deirfír (archaic, dialectal) leis na deirfiúracha

Coordinate terms

• deartháir (“brother”)

Derived terms

• deirfiúirín m (“heath milkwort”)

Related terms

• siúr

Mutation

Irish mutation
Radical	Lenition	Eclipsis
deirfiúr	dheirfiúr	ndeirfiúr
Note: Some of these forms may be hypothetical. Not every possible mutated form of every word actually occurs.

Further reading

• Ó Dónaill, Niall (1977) “deirfiúr”, in Foclóir Gaeilge–Béarla, Dublin: An Gúm, →ISBN
• Gregory Toner, Sharon Arbuthnot, Máire Ní Mhaonaigh, Marie-Luise Theuerkauf, Dagmar Wodtko, editors (2019), “derbsiur”, in eDIL: Electronic Dictionary of the Irish Language