-ach

See also: ACH, ach, aćh, and ách

Chuukese

Suffix

-ach

1. (added to possessive nouns) our (inclusive)

Related terms

Chuukese possessive determiners

		Small objects, concepts	Large objects, living things	Suffix
Singular	First person	ai	nei	-ei
	Second person	omw, om	noum	-om
	Third person	an	noun	-an
Plural	First person	äm (exclusive) ach (inclusive)	nöu̇m (exclusive) nöüch (inclusive)	-em (exclusive) -ach (inclusive)
	Second person	ämi, ami	noumi	-emi
	Third person	ar	nour	-er

Irish

Pronunciation

• (Munster, Connacht) IPA^(key): /əx/
• (Ulster) IPA^(key): /ax/, /ah/, /a/

Etymology 1

From Old Irish -ach, from Proto-Celtic *-ākos, from Proto-Indo-European *-eh₂kos, *-eh₂ḱos, from a-stem suffix *-eh₂ + adjectival suffix *-kos, *-ḱos; compare Welsh -og. Doublet of -óg.

Alternative forms

• -each (slender form)

Suffix

-ach m

1. Forms nouns from other nouns and adjectives with the sense of ‘person or thing connected or involved with, belonging to, having’.

   ‎Éire (“Ireland”) + ‎-ach → ‎Éireannach (“Irish (person)”)

   ‎Sasana (“England”) + ‎-ach → ‎Sasanach (“English (person)”)

2. Forms adjectives from other nouns and adjectives with the sense of ‘connected or involved with, belonging to, having’.

   ‎bunús (“basis”) + ‎-ach → ‎bunúsach (“basic”)

   ‎fearg (“anger”) + ‎-ach → ‎feargach (“angry”)

   ‎Éire (“Ireland”) + ‎-ach → ‎Éireannach (“Irish”)

   ‎Sasana (“England”) + ‎-ach → ‎Sasanach (“English”)

Declension

For nouns:

Declension of -ach (first declension)

bare forms case singular plural nominative -ach -aigh vocative a -aigh a -acha genitive -aigh -ach dative -ach -aigh forms with the definite article case singular plural nominative an -ach na -aigh genitive an -aigh na -ach dative leis an -ach don -ach leis na -aigh

For adjectives:

Declension of -ach

	singular		plural (m/f)
Positive	masculine	feminine	(strong noun)	(weak noun)
nominative	-ach	-ach	-acha
vocative	-aigh		-acha
genitive		-aí	-acha	-ach
dative	-ach	-ach; -aigh (archaic)	-acha
Comparative	níos -aí
Superlative	is -aí

Derived terms

• -achán
• -achas

Irish nouns suffixed with -ach

Irish adjectives suffixed with -ach

Irish suffixes suffixed with -ach

Etymology 2

From Old Irish -ach, from Proto-Celtic *-Vkos (V standing for any vowel), the genitive singular ending of certain nouns ending in *-Vxs.

Suffix

-ach

2. forms the genitive singular of some fifth-declension nouns

Middle Irish

Etymology

From Old Irish -ach, from Proto-Celtic *-ākos, from Proto-Indo-European *-eh₂kos, *-eh₂ḱos, from a-stem suffix *-eh₂- + adjectival suffix *-kos, *-ḱos. Doublet of -óc.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /əx/

Suffix

-ach

1. Forms adjectives meaning "related to, having, characterised by, prone to".
2. Forms nouns meaning "person or thing connected or involved with, belonging to, having".

Usage notes

After a palatalised consonant, the suffix becomes -ech.

Derived terms

Middle Irish adjectives suffixed with -ach

Middle Irish nouns suffixed with -ach

Descendants

• Irish: -ach
• Manx: -agh
• Scottish Gaelic: -ach

Middle Welsh

Etymology

From Proto-Brythonic *-ox, with the vowel altered by influence from -af.

Suffix

-ach

1. forms a comparative adjective

Derived terms

Middle Welsh terms suffixed with -ach

Old Irish

Etymology

From Proto-Celtic *-ākos, from Proto-Indo-European *-eh₂kos, *-eh₂ḱos, from a-stem suffix *-eh₂- + adjectival suffix *-kos, *-ḱos. Doublet of -óc.

Compare Latin -ācus, -icus.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ax/

Suffix

-ach

1. Forms adjectives meaning "related to, having, characterised by, prone to".
2. Forms nouns meaning "person or thing connected or involved with, belonging to, having".

Usage notes

After a palatalised consonant, the suffix becomes -ech.

Inflection

Adjective:

o/ā-stem
Singular	Masculine	Feminine	Neuter
Nominative	-ach	-ach	-ach
Vocative	-aig* -ach**
Accusative	-ach	-aig
Genitive	-aig	-aige	-aig
Dative	-uch	-aig	-uch
Plural	Masculine	Feminine/neuter
Nominative	-aig	-acha
Vocative	-achu -acha†
Accusative	-achu -acha†
Genitive	-ach
Dative	-achaib
Notes	*modifying a noun whose vocative is different from its nominative **modifying a noun whose vocative is identical to its nominative † not when substantivized

Noun:

Masculine o-stem
	Singular	Dual	Plural
Nominative	-ach	-achL	-aigL
Vocative	-aig	-achL	-achuH
Accusative	-achN	-achL	-achuH
Genitive	-aigL	-ach	-achN
Dative	-uchL	-achaib	-achaib
Initial mutations of a following adjective: H = triggers aspiration L = triggers lenition N = triggers nasalization

Derived terms

Old Irish adjectives suffixed with -ach

Old Irish nouns suffixed with -ach

Descendants

• Middle Irish: -ach
  • Irish: -ach
  • Manx: -agh
  • Scottish Gaelic: -ach

Further reading

• Thurneysen, Rudolf (1940) D. A. Binchy and Osborn Bergin, transl., A Grammar of Old Irish, Dublin Institute for Advanced Studies, →ISBN, § 347; reprinted 2017

Scottish Gaelic

Alternative forms

• -each (slender form)

Etymology

From Old Irish -ach, from Proto-Celtic *-ākos, from Proto-Indo-European *-eh₂kos, *-eh₂ḱos, from a-stem suffix *-eh₂- + adjectival suffix *-kos, *-ḱos; compare Welsh -og. Doublet of -ag.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): [ax]

Suffix

-ach (plural -aich or -aichean)

1. Forming nouns from nouns and adjectives with the sense of ‘person or thing connected or involved with, belonging to, having’.

Derived terms

Scottish Gaelic terms suffixed with -ach

Welsh

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /aχ/

Etymology 1

From Middle Welsh -ach, from Proto-Brythonic *-ox, with the vowel altered by influence from -af.

Suffix

-ach

2. Forms a comparative adjective.

   ‎ifanc (“young”) + ‎-ach → ‎ifancach (“younger”)

   ‎pwysig (“important”) + ‎-ach → ‎pwysicach (“more important”)

   ‎tlawd (“poor”) + ‎-ach → ‎tlotach (“poorer”)

Usage notes

Triggers fortition of the final consonant of the adjectival stem.

Derived terms

Welsh terms suffixed with -ach (comparative adjective)

Etymology 2

Alternative forms

• -iach

Suffix

-ach

2. pejorative suffix

   ‎cor (“dwarf”) + ‎-ach → ‎corrach (“dwarf, gnome”)

   ‎cawl (“soup”) + ‎-ach → ‎cawlach (“mess, hotchpotch”)

   ‎dillad (“clothes”) + ‎-ach → ‎dilladach (“old clothes, worthless clothing”)

Derived terms

Welsh terms suffixed with -ach (pejorative)

Etymology 3

Suffix

-ach f

2. suffix forming abstract nouns and some verbnouns

   ‎cyfrin (“privy, cryptic”) + ‎-ach → ‎cyfrinach (“secret”)

   ‎cyfaill (“friend”) + ‎-ach → ‎cyfeillach (“fellowship, companionship”)

   ‎clinc (“clink, tinkle”) + ‎tarddu (“emerge, erupt”) + ‎-ach → ‎clindarddarch (“crackling; to crackle”)

Derived terms

Welsh terms suffixed with -ach (abstract noun)

References

R. J. Thomas, G. A. Bevan, P. J. Donovan, A. Hawke et al., editors (1950–present), “-ach”, in Geiriadur Prifysgol Cymru Online (in Welsh), University of Wales Centre for Advanced Welsh & Celtic Studies