beathach

Irish

Etymology 1

beatha +‎ -ach

Adjective

beathach

1. Only used in beo beathach (“alive and kicking”)

Etymology 2

Pronunciation

• (Ulster) IPA^(key): /ˈbʲaːx/

Noun

beathach m (genitive singular beathaigh, nominative plural beathaigh)

1. Ulster form of beithíoch (“beast”)

Declension

Declension of beathach

First declension

Bare forms: Case Singular Plural Nominative beathach beathaigh Vocative a bheathaigh a bheathacha Genitive beathaigh beathach Dative beathach beathaigh

Forms with the definite article: Case Singular Plural Nominative an beathach na beathaigh Genitive an bheathaigh na mbeathach Dative leis an mbeathach don bheathach leis na beathaigh

Etymology 3

Adjective

beathach (genitive singular masculine beathaigh, genitive singular feminine beathaí, plural beathacha, not comparable)

1. Alternative form of beitheach (“planted with birches”)

Declension

Declension of beathach

	Singular		Plural (m/f)
Positive	Masculine	Feminine	(strong noun)	(weak noun)
Nominative	beathach	bheathach	beathacha; bheathacha²
Vocative	bheathaigh		beathacha
Genitive		beathaí	beathacha	beathach
Dative	beathach; bheathach¹	bheathach; bheathaigh (archaic)	beathacha; bheathacha²
Comparative	(not comparable)
Superlative	(not comparable)

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

Mutation

Irish mutation
Radical	Lenition	Eclipsis
beathach	bheathach	mbeathach
Note: Some of these forms may be hypothetical. Not every possible mutated form of every word actually occurs.

Scottish Gaelic

Alternative forms

• beòthach, beothach, beitheach

Etymology

From Old Irish bethach, a variant of bethadach (“animal; creature”) (whence Irish beithíoch), from bethu, Middle Irish betha (“life”) + -ach.

Pronunciation

• (Lewis) IPA^(key): /ˈb̥ehəx/
• (North Uist) IPA^(key): /ˈb̥eo.əx/(corresponding to the form beothach)
• (South Uist) IPA^(key): /ˈb̥ɛo.əx/, /ˈb̥ɛohəx/ (corresponding to the form beothach)
• (Barra, Tiree) IPA^(key): /ˈb̥ehux/
• (Mull) IPA^(key): [ˈb̥e.ux]

Noun

beathach m (genitive singular beathaich, plural beathaichean)

1. beast, brute, animal

   Synonym: ainmhidh

Related terms

• beatha

Mutation

Scottish Gaelic mutation
Radical	Lenition
beathach	bheathach
Note: Some of these forms may be hypothetical. Not every possible mutated form of every word actually occurs.

Further reading

• Gregory Toner, Sharon Arbuthnot, Máire Ní Mhaonaigh, Marie-Luise Theuerkauf, Dagmar Wodtko, editors (2019), “2 bethach”, in eDIL: Electronic Dictionary of the Irish Language