caol

Irish

Etymology

From Middle Irish cáel, from Old Irish coíl, from Proto-Celtic *koilos (“thin”) (compare Cornish and Welsh cul).

Pronunciation

• (Munster) IPA^(key): /keːl̪ˠ/, [këːə̯l̪ˠ]
• (Connacht) IPA^(key): /kiːlˠ/, /kiːl̪ˠ/
• (Ulster) IPA^(key): /kiːlˠ/, /kiːl̪ˠ/; (older) /kɯːlˠ/

Adjective

caol (genitive singular masculine caoil, genitive singular feminine caoile, plural caola, comparative caoile)

1. thin, slender

   Synonym: tanaí

2. fine
3. narrow

   Synonym: cúng

4. (sound) thin, shrill
5. (linguistics) slender, palatalized

   Caol le caol agus leathan le leathan. (rule in Irish spelling)

   Slender (consonant) goes with slender (vowel) and broad (consonant) with broad (vowel).

6. weak, dilute
7. slight
8. subtle

Declension

Declension of caol

	singular		plural (m/f)
Positive	masculine	feminine	(strong noun)	(weak noun)
nominative	caol	chaol	caola; chaola2
vocative	chaoil		caola
genitive		caoile	caola	caol
dative	caol; chaol1	chaol; chaoil (archaic)	caola; chaola2
Comparative	níos caoile
Superlative	is caoile

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

Antonyms

• leathan

Derived terms

• barrchaol
• caoile
• caol na coise
• caolaigh
• caolán
• caolas
• caolchuid
• caolsráid

Noun

caol m (genitive singular caoil, nominative plural caolta)

1. slender part (of body, limb)
2. narrow water, strait
3. (basketry) osier, twig

Declension

Declension of caol (first declension)

bare forms case singular plural nominative caol caolta vocative a chaoil a chaola genitive caoil caol dative caol caolta forms with the definite article case singular plural nominative an caol na caolta genitive an chaoil na gcaol dative leis an gcaol don chaol leis na caolta

Derived terms

• caológ (“small channel”)
• cuir caol ort féin (“sharpen yourself; make yourself scarce”, verb)

Verb

caol (present analytic caolann, future analytic caolfaidh, verbal noun caoladh, past participle caolta)

1. Alternative form of caolaigh (“become thin”)

Conjugation

conjugation of caol (first conjugation – A)

		singular			plural			relative	autonomous
		first	second	third	first	second	third
indicative	present	caolaim	caolann tú; caolair†	caolann sé, sí	caolaimid	caolann sibh	caolann siad; caolaid†	a chaolann; a chaolas / a gcaolann*	caoltar
	past	chaol mé; chaolas	chaol tú; chaolais	chaol sé, sí	chaolamar; chaol muid	chaol sibh; chaolabhair	chaol siad; chaoladar	a chaol / ar chaol*	caoladh
	past habitual	chaolainn / gcaolainn‡‡	chaoltá / gcaoltᇇ	chaoladh sé, sí / gcaoladh sé, s퇇	chaolaimis; chaoladh muid / gcaolaimis‡‡; gcaoladh muid‡‡	chaoladh sibh / gcaoladh sibh‡‡	chaolaidís; chaoladh siad / gcaolaidís‡‡; gcaoladh siad‡‡	a chaoladh / a gcaoladh*	chaoltaí / gcaolta퇇
future		caolfaidh mé; caolfad	caolfaidh tú; caolfair†	caolfaidh sé, sí	caolfaimid; caolfaidh muid	caolfaidh sibh	caolfaidh siad; caolfaid†	a chaolfaidh; a chaolfas / a gcaolfaidh*	caolfar
conditional		chaolfainn / gcaolfainn‡‡	chaolfá / gcaolfᇇ	chaolfadh sé, sí / gcaolfadh sé, s퇇	chaolfaimis; chaolfadh muid / gcaolfaimis‡‡; gcaolfadh muid‡‡	chaolfadh sibh / gcaolfadh sibh‡‡	chaolfaidís; chaolfadh siad / gcaolfaidís‡‡; gcaolfadh siad‡‡	a chaolfadh / a gcaolfadh*	chaolfaí / gcaolfa퇇
subjunctive	present	go gcaola mé; go gcaolad†	go gcaola tú; go gcaolair†	go gcaola sé, sí	go gcaolaimid; go gcaola muid	go gcaola sibh	go gcaola siad; go gcaolaid†	—	go gcaoltar
	past	dá gcaolainn	dá gcaoltá	dá gcaoladh sé, sí	dá gcaolaimis; dá gcaoladh muid	dá gcaoladh sibh	dá gcaolaidís; dá gcaoladh siad	—	dá gcaoltaí
imperative		caolaim	caol	caoladh sé, sí	caolaimis	caolaigí; caolaidh†	caolaidís	—	caoltar
verbal noun		caoladh
past participle		caolta

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

Mutation

Mutated forms of caol

radical	lenition	eclipsis
caol	chaol	gcaol

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

Further reading

• Ó Dónaill, Niall (1977) “caol”, in Foclóir Gaeilge–Béarla, Dublin: An Gúm, →ISBN
• Dinneen, Patrick S. (1904) “caol”, in Foclóir Gaeḋilge agus Béarla, 1st edition, Dublin: Irish Texts Society, page 115
• de Bhaldraithe, Tomás (1959) “caol”, in English-Irish Dictionary, An Gúm
• “caol”, in New English-Irish Dictionary, Foras na Gaeilge, 2013-2025

Scottish Gaelic

FWOTD – 14 November 2015

Etymology

From Middle Irish cáel, from Old Irish coíl, from Proto-Celtic *koilos (“thin”) (compare Cornish and Welsh cul).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /kʰɯːɫ̪/

Adjective

caol

1. thin, narrow

Antonyms

• leathann

Derived terms

• caoile
• caol-shràid
• ceàrn caol

Noun

caol m (genitive singular caoil, plural caoiltean)

1. strait, narrows, firth, kyle
2. the narrow part of anything

Derived terms

• caol-dùirn

Descendants

• → English: kyle

Mutation

Mutation of caol

radical	lenition
caol	chaol

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

References

1. Edward Dwelly (1911) “caol”, in Faclair Gàidhlig gu Beurla le Dealbhan [The Illustrated Gaelic–English Dictionary]‎^[1], 10th edition, Edinburgh: Birlinn Limited, →ISBN