ceathrar

Irish

Irish numbers ^(edit)

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Cardinal: ceathair     Ordinal: ceathrú     Personal: ceathrar     Attributive: ceithre

Ceathrar i gcurach

Etymology

From Old Irish cethrar (“four people”).

Pronunciation

• (Munster) IPA^(key): /ˈcahəɾˠəɾˠ/
• (Cois Fharraige) IPA^(key): /cæːɾˠ/
• (Ulster) IPA^(key): /ˈcahɾˠəɾˠ/

Noun

ceathrar m (genitive singular ceathrair, nominative plural ceathrair) (triggers no mutation)

1. four people

   Tá ceathrar páistí sa pháirc. ― There are four children in the park.

Usage notes

• Generally used with the genitive plural when referring to human beings; also sometimes used with other nouns, especially if the things they denote are being personified.

Declension

Declension of ceathrar (first declension)

bare forms case singular plural nominative ceathrar ceathrair vocative a cheathrair a cheathrara genitive ceathrair ceathrar dative ceathrar ceathrair forms with the definite article case singular plural nominative an ceathrar na ceathrair genitive an cheathrair na gceathrar dative leis an gceathrar don cheathrar leis na ceathrair

Derived terms

• col ceathrair

Related terms

• ceathair
• ceithre (non-personal)

Mutation

Mutated forms of ceathrar

radical	lenition	eclipsis
ceathrar	cheathrar	gceathrar

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

Further reading

• “ceathrar”, in New English-Irish Dictionary, Foras na Gaeilge, 2013-2024
• de Bhaldraithe, Tomás (1959) “four”, in English-Irish Dictionary, An Gúm, retrieved 24 May 2024
• Ó Dónaill, Niall (1977) “ceathrar”, in Foclóir Gaeilge–Béarla, Dublin: An Gúm, →ISBN, retrieved 24 May 2024

Scottish Gaelic

Etymology

From Old Irish cethrar (“four people”).

Pronunciation

• (Lewis) IPA^(key): /ˈkʲʰæɾəð/, [ˈkʲʰæɾəð̥ʲ], [ˈkʲʰæɾ̥həð̥ʲ] (as if spelled ceathrair)
• (Harris, Barra) IPA^(key): /ˈkʲʰæɾɪɾʲ/ (as if spelled ceathrair)
• (Uist) IPA^(key): /ˈkʲʰæɾhɪɾʲ/ (as if spelled ceathrair)
• (Wester Ross) IPA^(key): [ˈkʲʰɛɾ̥həɹ̝ʲ~ˈkʲʰɛɾ̥həj] (as if spelled ceathrair)

Noun

ceathrar m (genitive singular ceathrair, plural ceathraran)

1. four

Usage notes

• Only used about persons (cf numerical noun).
• Following noun is in the genitive:

  ceathrar bhalach ― four boys

• Alternatively, de and the dative are used:

  ceathrar de bhalaich ― four boys

• Prepositional pronouns used are those formed from de and aig

  an ceathrar dhiubh / aca ― the four of them

• Also used on its own:

  Bha ceathrar ann. ― There were four.

Related terms

• ceithir

Mutation

Mutation of ceathrar

radical	lenition
ceathrar	cheathrar

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

References

• Edward Dwelly (1911) “ceathrar”, 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), “cethrar”, in eDIL: Electronic Dictionary of the Irish Language