alpaire

Irish

Alternative forms

• ailpéir m
• alpachán m

Etymology

From alp (“swallow whole, devour; grab”, verb) +‎ -aire (agent suffix).

Noun

alpaire m (genitive singular alpaire, nominative plural alpairí)

1. voracious eater

   Synonyms: airceachán, gainéan, gionachán, peasánach, slamaire

2. grabber

   Synonyms: antlachán, cantálaí, cúblálaí, glámaire, grabálaí, scramaire

3. large stone

   Synonym: alpaire cloiche

Declension

Declension of alpaire (fourth declension)

bare forms case singular plural nominative alpaire alpairí vocative a alpaire a alpairí genitive alpaire alpairí dative alpaire alpairí forms with the definite article case singular plural nominative an t-alpaire na halpairí genitive an alpaire na n-alpairí dative leis an alpaire don alpaire leis na halpairí

Derived terms

• alpaire seangán m (“anteater”)
• alpaireacht f (“(act of) bolting food; voracious eating; (act of) grabbing”)

 

Related terms

• alpartha (“greedy; stout, burly”, adjective)

Mutation

Mutated forms of alpaire

radical	eclipsis	with h-prothesis	with t-prothesis
alpaire	n-alpaire	halpaire	t-alpaire

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

Further reading

• Ó Dónaill, Niall (1977) “alpaire”, in Foclóir Gaeilge–Béarla, Dublin: An Gúm, →ISBN
• de Bhaldraithe, Tomás (1959) “alpaire”, in English-Irish Dictionary, An Gúm
• “alpaire”, in New English-Irish Dictionary, Foras na Gaeilge, 2013-2024