breac

Irish

Etymology

From Old Irish brecc (“speckled, spotted; trout”), from Proto-Celtic *brikkos. Cognate with Breton breac’h and Welsh brych.

The verb is from Middle Irish breccaid (“to speckle”), from the adjective.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /bʲɾʲak/

Adjective

breac (genitive singular masculine bric, genitive singular feminine brice, plural breaca, comparative brice)

1. speckled, spotted

Declension

Declension of breac

	singular		plural (m/f)
Positive	masculine	feminine	(strong noun)	(weak noun)
nominative	breac	bhreac	breaca; bhreaca2
vocative	bhric		breaca
genitive		brice	breaca	breac
dative	breac; bhreac1	bhreac; bhric (archaic)	breaca; bhreaca2
Comparative	níos brice
Superlative	is brice

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

• alabhreac (“piebald; pied”, adjective)
• bairín breac m (“barmbrack”)
• capall alabhreac m (“pinto”)
• iarnbhreac (“ironshot”, adjective)

 

Verb

breac (present analytic breacann, future analytic breacfaidh, verbal noun breacadh, past participle breactha)

1. to speckle

Conjugation

conjugation of breac (first conjugation – A)

		singular			plural			relative	autonomous
		first	second	third	first	second	third
indicative	present	breacaim	breacann tú; breacair†	breacann sé, sí	breacaimid	breacann sibh	breacann siad; breacaid†	a bhreacann; a bhreacas / a mbreacann*	breactar
	past	bhreac mé; bhreacas	bhreac tú; bhreacais	bhreac sé, sí	bhreacamar; bhreac muid	bhreac sibh; bhreacabhair	bhreac siad; bhreacadar	a bhreac / ar bhreac*	breacadh
	past habitual	bhreacainn / mbreacainn‡‡	bhreactá / mbreactᇇ	bhreacadh sé, sí / mbreacadh sé, s퇇	bhreacaimis; bhreacadh muid / mbreacaimis‡‡; mbreacadh muid‡‡	bhreacadh sibh / mbreacadh sibh‡‡	bhreacaidís; bhreacadh siad / mbreacaidís‡‡; mbreacadh siad‡‡	a bhreacadh / a mbreacadh*	bhreactaí / mbreacta퇇
future		breacfaidh mé; breacfad	breacfaidh tú; breacfair†	breacfaidh sé, sí	breacfaimid; breacfaidh muid	breacfaidh sibh	breacfaidh siad; breacfaid†	a bhreacfaidh; a bhreacfas / a mbreacfaidh*	breacfar
conditional		bhreacfainn / mbreacfainn‡‡	bhreacfá / mbreacfᇇ	bhreacfadh sé, sí / mbreacfadh sé, s퇇	bhreacfaimis; bhreacfadh muid / mbreacfaimis‡‡; mbreacfadh muid‡‡	bhreacfadh sibh / mbreacfadh sibh‡‡	bhreacfaidís; bhreacfadh siad / mbreacfaidís‡‡; mbreacfadh siad‡‡	a bhreacfadh / a mbreacfadh*	bhreacfaí / mbreacfa퇇
subjunctive	present	go mbreaca mé; go mbreacad†	go mbreaca tú; go mbreacair†	go mbreaca sé, sí	go mbreacaimid; go mbreaca muid	go mbreaca sibh	go mbreaca siad; go mbreacaid†	—	go mbreactar
	past	dá mbreacainn	dá mbreactá	dá mbreacadh sé, sí	dá mbreacaimis; dá mbreacadh muid	dá mbreacadh sibh	dá mbreacaidís; dá mbreacadh siad	—	dá mbreactaí
imperative		breacaim	breac	breacadh sé, sí	breacaimis	breacaigí; breacaidh†	breacaidís	—	breactar
verbal noun		breacadh
past participle		breactha

* indirect relative
† archaic or dialect form
‡‡ dependent form used with particles that trigger eclipsis

Noun

breac m (genitive singular bric, nominative plural bric)

1. trout

Declension

Declension of breac (first declension)

bare forms case singular plural nominative breac bric vocative a bhric a bhreaca genitive bric breac dative breac bric forms with the definite article case singular plural nominative an breac na bric genitive an bhric na mbreac dative leis an mbreac don bhreac leis na bric

Derived terms

• breac donn m (“brown trout”)

Mutation

Mutated forms of breac

radical	lenition	eclipsis
breac	bhreac	mbreac

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

Further reading

• Dinneen, Patrick S. (1904) “breac”, in Foclóir Gaeḋilge agus Béarla, 1st edition, Dublin: Irish Texts Society, page 82
• Ó Dónaill, Niall (1977) “breac”, in Foclóir Gaeilge–Béarla, Dublin: An Gúm, →ISBN

Old English

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /bræ͜ɑːk/

Verb

brēac

1. first/third-person singular preterite indicative of brūcan

Scottish Gaelic

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /b̥ɾʲɛxk/
• (Lewis) IPA^(key): /b̥ðek/, [b̥ðe̞hk]
• (Barra) IPA^(key): [b̥ɾʲɛxk~b̥ʒɛxk]

Etymology 1

From Old Irish brecc (“speckled, spotted, variegated”), from Proto-Celtic *brikkos.

Adjective

breac (comparative brice)

1. speckled, spotted, piebald
2. embossed
3. chequered

Declension

Declension of breac (type I adjective)

	masculine	feminine	plural
nominative	breac	bhreac	breaca
genitive	bhric	brice	breaca
dative	breac	bhric	breaca
vocative	bhric	bhreac	breaca

Derived terms

• am fiabhras breac
• fòghnan-breac
• iolair-bhreac

Verb

breac (past bhreac, future breacaidh, verbal noun breacadh, past participle breacte)

1. speckle
2. sprinkle, scatter

Conjugation

Conjugation of breac (regular)

		singular			plural			impersonal
		first	second	third m/f	first	second	third
independent	past	bhreac mi	bhreac thu	bhreac e/i	bhreac sinn	bhreac sibh	bhreac iad	bhreacadh
	future	breacaidh mi	breacaidh tu	breacaidh e/i	breacaidh sinn	breacaidh sibh	breacaidh iad	breacar breactar
	conditional	bhreacainn	bhreacadh tu	bhreacadh e/i	bhreacamaid bhreacadh sinn	bhreacadh sibh	bhreacadh iad	bhreactadh bhreacaist1 bhreacaiste1
negative	past	cha do bhreac mi	cha do bhreac thu	cha do bhreac e/i	cha do bhreac sinn	cha do bhreac sibh	cha do bhreac iad	cha do bhreacadh
	future	cha bhreac mi	cha bhreac thu	cha bhreac e/i	cha bhreac sinn	cha bhreac sibh	cha bhreac iad	cha bhreacar cha bhreactar
	conditional	cha bhreacainn	cha bhreacadh tu	cha bhreacadh e/i	cha bhreacamaid cha bhreacadh sinn	cha bhreacadh sibh	cha bhreacadh iad	cha bhreactadh cha bhreacaist1 cha bhreacaiste1
affirmative interrogative	past	an do bhreac mi?	an do bhreac thu?	an do bhreac e/i?	an do bhreac sinn?	an do bhreac sibh?	an do bhreac iad?	an do bhreacadh?
	future	am breac mi?	am breac thu?	am breac e/i?	am breac sinn?	am breac sibh?	am breac iad?	am breacar? am breactar?
	conditional	am breacainn?	am breacadh tu?	am breacadh e/i?	am breacamaid? am breacadh sinn?	am breacadh sibh?	am breacadh iad?	am breactadh? am breacaist?1 am breacaiste?1
negative interrogative	past	nach do bhreac mi?	nach do bhreac thu?	nach do bhreac e/i?	nach do bhreac sinn?	nach do bhreac sibh?	nach do bhreac iad?	nach do bhreacadh?
	future	nach breac mi?	nach breac thu?	nach breac e/i?	nach breac sinn?	nach breac sibh?	nach breac iad?	nach breacar? nach breactar?
	conditional	nach breacainn?	nach breacadh tu?	nach breacadh e/i?	nach breacamaid? nach breacadh sinn?	nach breacadh sibh?	nach breacadh iad?	nach breactadh? nach breacaist?1 nach breacaiste?1
relative future	affirmative	(ma) bhreacas mi	(ma) bhreacas thu	(ma) bhreacas e/i	(ma) bhreacas sinn	(ma) bhreacas sibh	(ma) bhreacas iad	(ma) bhreacar
	negative	(mur) breac mi	(mur) breac thu	(mur) breac e/i	(mur) breac sinn	(mur) breac sibh	(mur) breac iad	(mur) breacar (mur) breactar
imperative		breacam	breac	breacadh e/i	breacamaid	breacaibh	breacadh iad	breacar breactar
stem		breac
verbal noun		breacadh
past participle		breacta

¹ Lewis dialect form

Etymology 2

From Old Irish brecc (“trout”).

Noun

breac m (genitive singular bric, plural bric)

1. trout, brown trout
2. (dialect) salmon

Mutation

Mutation of breac

radical	lenition
breac	bhreac

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