Reconstruction:Proto-Celtic/-mā

This Proto-Celtic entry contains reconstructed terms and roots. As such, the term(s) in this entry are not directly attested, but are hypothesized to have existed based on comparative evidence.

Proto-Celtic

Etymology

From Proto-Indo-European *-meh₂. Other apparent appearances of this suffix elsewhere in Indo-European include:

• Ancient Greek φήμη (phḗmē) and Latin fāma, both of these from *bʰeh₂- (“to speak”).
• Ancient Greek τιμή (timḗ), from *kʷey- (“to pay”).

The first verbal noun with this suffix was likely *kreddīmā (“belief”).

Suffix

*-mā f

1. Forms verbal nouns to miscellaneous weak verbs with suffixed *-ī-.

Usage notes

• Causative/iterative verbs, despite also being weak verbs in *-ī-, instead generally used *-os to make verbal nouns.
• This suffix was mildly productive in Goidelic, but in Brittonic it was very productive, ousting almost every other verbal noun formation, even *-tus.

Inflection

Feminine ā-stem
	singular	dual	plural
nominative	*-mā	*-mai	*-mās
vocative	*-mā	*-mai	*-mās
accusative	*-mam	*-mai	*-māms
genitive	*-mās	*-mous	*-mom
dative	*-māi	*-mābom	*-mābos
locative	*-mai	*?	*?
instrumental	*?	*-mābim	*-mābis

Descendants

• Proto-Brythonic: *-iβ̃, *-aβ̃, *-oβ̃, *-ọβ̃ (see there for further descendants)
• Old Irish: -em, -am (after a broad consonant)
  • Irish: -amh
  • Scottish Gaelic: -amh