ceannaidh

Irish

Etymology

From Middle Irish cennaid, an alteration of Old Irish cennais under the influence of its antonym allaid (“wild”). The Sanas Cormaic itself proposes the folk etymologies that allaid is from al fid (literally “beyond the wood”) while cennaid is from cen fid (literally “on this side of the wood”).^[1] Pedersen agrees that the two words do form a pair originating with al and cen but believes the second syllable to be a suffix rather than the word fid (“wood”).^[2]

Pronunciation

(Ulster) IPA^(key): /ˈkʌn̪ˠĩː/^[3] (as if spelled cunnaidh)

Adjective

ceannaidh (genitive singular feminine ceannaidhe, plural ceannaidhe, comparative ceannaidhe)

(obsolete) tame

Declension

Declension of *ceannaidh*
	singular		plural (m/f)
Positive	masculine	feminine	(strong noun)	(weak noun)
nominative	ceannaidh	cheannaidh	ceannaidhe; cheannaidhe²
vocative	cheannaidh	cheannaidh	ceannaidhe
genitive	cheannaidh	ceannaidhe	ceannaidhe	ceannaidh
dative	ceannaidh; cheannaidh¹	cheannaidh	ceannaidhe; cheannaidhe²
Comparative	níos ceannaidhe
Superlative	is ceannaidhe

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

Synonyms

References

^ Gregory Toner, Sharon Arbuthnot, Máire Ní Mhaonaigh, Marie-Luise Theuerkauf, Dagmar Wodtko, editors (2019), “cennaid or dil.ie/8628”, in eDIL: Electronic Dictionary of the Irish Language
^ Pedersen, Holger (1913) Vergleichende Grammatik der keltischen Sprachen [Comparative Grammar of the Celtic Languages] (in German), volume II, Göttingen: Vandenhoeck und Ruprecht, →ISBN, § 384.2h Anm., page 39
^ Quiggin, E. C. (1906) A Dialect of Donegal, Cambridge University Press, § 416, page 136