bràthair

See also: brathair and bráthair

Scottish Gaelic

Etymology

From Old Irish bráthair, from Proto-Celtic *brātīr, from Proto-Indo-European *bʰréh₂tēr (“brother”).

Pronunciation

• (Lewis) IPA^(key): /ˈb̥ɾaːhəð/, /ˈb̥ɾaːhað/
• (Harris) IPA^(key): /ˈb̥ɾʲɑːhaɾʲ/
• (Uist, Barra) IPA^(key): /ˈb̥ɾaːhɪɾʲ/, (careful pronunciation) /ˈb̥ɾaːhæɾʲ/

Noun

bràthair m (genitive singular bràthar, plural bràithrean)

1. brother, male sibling

   Tha am bràthair aig Seumas aig am bùth. ― James' brother is at the shop.

Declension

Declension of bràthair (type Vb masculine noun)

indefinite
	singular	plural
nominative	bràthair	bràithrean
genitive	bràthar	bhràithrean
dative	bràthair	bràithrean
definite
	singular	plural
nominative	(am) bràthair	(na) bràithrean
genitive	(a') bhràthar	(nam) bràithrean
dative	(a') bhràthair	(na) bràithrean
vocative	bhràthair	bhràithrean

• Alternative dative/vocative plural: bràithribh, bràthraibh (archaic, or, dialectal)

Derived terms

• bràithreil (“brotherly”)
• bràthair-altraim m (“foster-brother”)
• bràthair-athar m (“paternal uncle”)
• bràthair-cèile m (“brother-in-law”)
• bràthair-màthar m (“maternal uncle”)
• comh-bhràthaireil (“fraternal”)
• leth-bhràthair m (“half-brother”)

Mutation

Mutation of bràthair

radical	lenition
bràthair	bhràthair

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

Further reading

• Edward Dwelly (1911) “bràthair”, 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), “bráthair”, in eDIL: Electronic Dictionary of the Irish Language