bríathar

See also: briathar

Old Irish

Etymology

From Proto-Celtic *breitrā (“word”), also "battle," perhaps related to *brē-, *bri- (“to cut”), from Proto-Indo-European *bʰerH- (“to strike”); compare Welsh brwydr (“fight, combat”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈbʲrʲiːa̯θər/, [ˈbʲrʲiːa̯θar]

Noun

bríathar f (genitive bré(i)thre, nominative plural bríathra)

1. word
   • c. 800, Würzburg Glosses on the Pauline Epistles, published in Thesaurus Palaeohibernicus (reprinted 1987, Dublin Institute for Advanced Studies), edited and with translations by Whitley Stokes and John Strachan, vol. I, pp. 499–712, Wb. 17^b5

     Ammi túailṅge ar mbréthre.

     We are potent in our word.

     (literally, “We are of the ability of our word.”)

   • c. 800, Würzburg Glosses on the Pauline Epistles, published in Thesaurus Palaeohibernicus (reprinted 1987, Dublin Institute for Advanced Studies), edited and with translations by Whitley Stokes and John Strachan, vol. I, pp. 499–712, Wb. 29^a12

     indhí pridchite et for·chanat bréthir Dǽ

     those who preach and teach God’s word

2. speech, talk
3. (grammar) verb
   • c. 845, St Gall Glosses on Priscian, published in Thesaurus Palaeohibernicus (reprinted 1975, Dublin Institute for Advanced Studies), edited and with translations by Whitley Stokes and John Strachan, vol. II, pp. 49–224, Sg. 159^a3

     Is airi ní táet comṡuidigud fri rangabáil, húare as coibnesta do bréthir: ar is lour comṡuidigud fri suidi, air bid comṡuidigud etarscartha comṡuidigud rangabálae.

     This is why composition does not occur with a participle, because it is akin to a verb: for composition with the latter is sufficient, for composition of a participle will be separated composition.

Inflection

Feminine ā-stem

	singular	dual	plural
nominative	bríatharL	bréthirL, bréithir	bríathraH
vocative	bríatharL	bréthirL, bréithir	bríathraH
accusative	bréthirN, bréithir	bréthirL, bréithir	bríathraH
genitive	bréthreH, bréithre	bríatharL	bríatharN
dative	bréthirL, bréithir	bríathraib	bríathraib

Initial mutations of a following adjective:

• ^H = triggers aspiration
• ^L = triggers lenition
• ^N = triggers nasalization

Derived terms

• dobríathar

Descendants

• Irish: briathar
• Manx: breear
• Scottish Gaelic: briathar

Mutation

Mutation of bríathar

radical	lenition	nasalization
bríathar	bríathar pronounced with /β(ʲ)-/	mbríathar

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

Further reading

• Gregory Toner, Sharon Arbuthnot, Máire Ní Mhaonaigh, Marie-Luise Theuerkauf, Dagmar Wodtko, editors (2019), “bríathar”, in eDIL: Electronic Dictionary of the Irish Language
• Matasović, Ranko (2009) Etymological Dictionary of Proto-Celtic (Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series; 9), Leiden: Brill, →ISBN, page 77