baileach

Irish

Etymology

From Old Irish balach, bailech, bailioch (“successful, prosperous; exact”). Compare Scottish Gaelic baileach.

Adjective

baileach (genitive singular masculine bailigh, genitive singular feminine bailí, plural baileacha, comparative bailí)

1. (mainly used adverbially) exact
2. frugal, thrifty

Declension

Declension of baileach

	singular		plural (m/f)
Positive	masculine	feminine	(strong noun)	(weak noun)
nominative	baileach	bhaileach	baileacha; bhaileacha2
vocative	bhailigh		baileacha
genitive		bailí	baileacha	baileach
dative	baileach; bhaileach1	bhaileach; bhailigh (archaic)	baileacha; bhaileacha2
Comparative	níos bailí
Superlative	is bailí

¹ When the preceding noun is lenited and governed by the definite article.
² When the preceding noun ends in a slender consonant.

Derived terms

• baileachas m (“frugality, thriftiness”)

Mutation

Mutated forms of baileach

radical	lenition	eclipsis
baileach	bhaileach	mbaileach

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

References

• Ó Dónaill, Niall (1977) “baileach”, in Foclóir Gaeilge–Béarla, Dublin: An Gúm, →ISBN
• Gregory Toner, Sharon Arbuthnot, Máire Ní Mhaonaigh, Marie-Luise Theuerkauf, Dagmar Wodtko, editors (2019), “1 balach”, in eDIL: Electronic Dictionary of the Irish Language
• de Bhaldraithe, Tomás (1959) “baileach”, in English-Irish Dictionary, An Gúm
• “baileach”, in New English-Irish Dictionary, Foras na Gaeilge, 2013-2024

Scottish Gaelic

Etymology

From Old Irish balach, bailech, bailioch (“successful, prosperous; exact”). By surface analysis, bail (“thrift”) +‎ -ach (adjectival suffix). Compare Irish baileach.

Adjective

baileach (genitive singular masculine bailich)

1. thrifty, economical, frugal, careful
2. excessive
3. thorough, complete

Derived terms

• mì-bhaileach (“extravagant, profuse, unthrifty”, adjective)

Mutation

Mutation of baileach

radical	lenition
baileach	bhaileach

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

References

• Edward Dwelly (1911) “baileach”, in Faclair Gàidhlig gu Beurla le Dealbhan [The Illustrated Gaelic–English Dictionary]‎^[1], 10th edition, Edinburgh: Birlinn Limited, →ISBN
• Gregory Toner, Sharon Arbuthnot, Máire Ní Mhaonaigh, Marie-Luise Theuerkauf, Dagmar Wodtko, editors (2019), “1 balach”, in eDIL: Electronic Dictionary of the Irish Language