áel

See also: Appendix:Variations of "ael"

Middle Irish

Etymology

From Old Irish áel, perhaps from the same source as Proto-Germanic *ēlō (“awl”). See also Sanskrit आरा (ārā, “shoemaker's knife”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): (earlier) /ɤːl/, (later) /ɯːl/

Noun

áel m

1. trident
2. meatfork, flesh-fork
   • c. 1000, anonymous author, edited by Rudolf Thurneysen, Scéla Mucca Meic Dathó, Dublin: Stationery Office, published 1935, § 1, page 2, line 13:

     In fer no·t⟨h⟩ēged iarsint ṡligi do·bered in n-aēl isin coiri, ocus a·taibred din chētgabāil, iss ed no·ithed.

     Each man who came along the passage would put the flesh-fork into the cauldron, and whatever he got at the first taking, it was that which he ate. (literally, “The man who…”)

Descendants

• Irish: adhal
• Manx: aall
• Scottish Gaelic: adhal

Mutation

Mutation of áel

radical	lenition	nasalization
áel	unchanged	n-áel

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

Further reading

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

Old Irish

Etymology 1

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): [ˈaːi̯l]

Noun

áel m

1. (geology, chemistry) lime, chalk

Inflection

Masculine o-stem
	Singular	Dual	Plural
Nominative	áel	áelL	aílL
Vocative	aíl	áelL	áeluH
Accusative	áelN	áelL	áeluH
Genitive	aílL	áel	áelN
Dative	áelL	áelaib	áelaib
Initial mutations of a following adjective: H = triggers aspiration L = triggers lenition N = triggers nasalization

Descendants

• Middle Irish: áel
  • Irish: aol
  • Manx: eayl
  • Scottish Gaelic: aol

Etymology 2

Matasović reconstructs a Proto-Celtic *ausetlom, from Proto-Indo-European *h₂ews- (“to scoop”), but he does not explain how this word fails to leave any trace of au- or ó, the normal reflexes of Proto-Celtic *au- in Old Irish.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈaː.əl/, [ˈaː.el]

Noun

áel n

1. meat fork

Inflection

Neuter o-stem
	Singular	Dual	Plural
Nominative	áelN	áelN	áelL, áela
Vocative	áelN	áelN	áelL, áela
Accusative	áelN	áelN	áelL, áela
Genitive	aïlL	áel	áelN
Dative	aíulL	áelaib	áelaib
Initial mutations of a following adjective: H = triggers aspiration L = triggers lenition N = triggers nasalization

Descendants

• Middle Irish: áel
  • Irish: adhal
  • Manx: aall
  • Scottish Gaelic: adhal

Mutation

Mutation of áel

radical	lenition	nasalization
áel (pronounced with /h/ in h-prothesis environments)	unchanged	n-áel

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

Further reading

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