ar éigean

Irish

Alternative forms

• ar éigin

Etymology

From the Old Irish prepositional phrase ar éicin (“under compulsion”), from ar (“on account of”) + éicin (“necessity”, dat. sg.).

Adverb

ar éigean

1. barely, scarcely, only just, with difficulty

   Tá sé beo ar éigean.

   He is barely alive.

2. scarcely (probably not; certainly not)

   An dtiocfaidh sé? —Is ar éigean é.

   Will he come? —Scarcely.

Synonyms

• (probably not; certainly not): ní móide

Derived terms

• ar ais nó ar éigean (“willy nilly”)