càil

See also: cail and cáil

Scottish Gaelic

Etymology

From Old Irish cáil (“quality, property”), from Latin quālitās.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /kʰaːl/

Noun

càil f (genitive singular càile, plural càilean)

1. appetite, disposition, desire
2. appearance
3. (chiefly Lewis, Harris, Skye) anything, (negative context) nothing

   Synonyms: dad, func, heat, sgath, sìon, stuth

   Chan fhaca mi càil as ùr.

   I didn't see anything new. or: I saw nothing new.

4. (colloquial, chiefly Lewis, Harris, Skye) nothing
   • 1985, Calum and Rory MacDonald (lyrics and music), “Air a' Chuan”, in Heartland, performed by Runrig, track 4:

     Càil ach muir, tonnan is cuan

     Nothing but sea, waves and ocean

Mutation

Mutation of càil

radical	lenition
càil	chàil

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