cuisle

Irish

Etymology

From Middle Irish cuisle (“pipe, tube”), from Old Irish cusle, of obscure origin. Possibly related to Proto-Germanic *husǭ (“outer covering”), from Proto-Indo-European *(s)kewH- (“to cover”). Not related to Latin pulsus.

Pronunciation

• (Munster) IPA^(key): /ˈkɪʃlʲə/
• (Ulster) IPA^(key): /ˈkʊʃl̠ʲə/

Noun

cuisle f (genitive singular cuisle or cuisleann, nominative plural cuislí or cuisleanna or cuisleacha)

1. pulse (regular beat felt when the arteries are depressed)
2. (chiefly figuratively) vein, blood vessel
3. forearm, wrist
4. (figuratively) channel
5. (geology) seam
6. (music) flute
7. (architecture) flute (groove in a column)

Declension

Declension of cuisle (fourth declension)

bare forms case singular plural nominative cuisle cuislí vocative a chuisle a chuislí genitive cuisle cuislí dative cuisle cuislí forms with the definite article case singular plural nominative an chuisle na cuislí genitive na cuisle na gcuislí dative leis an gcuisle don chuisle leis na cuislí

• Alternative plural form: cuisleacha
• Archaic fifth-declension forms:

Declension of cuisle (fifth declension)

bare forms case singular plural nominative cuisle cuisleanna vocative a chuisle a chuisleanna genitive cuisleann cuisleann dative cuislinn cuisleanna forms with the definite article case singular plural nominative an chuisle na cuisleanna genitive na cuisleann na gcuisleann dative leis an gcuislinn don chuislinn leis na cuisleanna

Synonyms

• (vein): féith (used of literal veins)
• (blood vessel): fuileadán (used of literal blood vessels)
• (forearm): rí
• (channel): géag, góilín
• (musical instrument): fliúit, feadóg mhór

Derived terms

• cuisleach (“veined”, adjective)
• cuisligh (“flow; flute; pipe”, verb)

Descendants

• → English: acushla (from vocative a chuisle)
• → English: macushla (from mo chuisle (literally “my pulse”))

Mutation

Mutated forms of cuisle

radical	lenition	eclipsis
cuisle	chuisle	gcuisle

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

Further reading

• Gregory Toner, Sharon Arbuthnot, Máire Ní Mhaonaigh, Marie-Luise Theuerkauf, Dagmar Wodtko, editors (2019), “cuisle”, in eDIL: Electronic Dictionary of the Irish Language
• Dinneen, Patrick S. (1904) “cuisle”, in Foclóir Gaeḋilge agus Béarla, 1st edition, Dublin: Irish Texts Society, page 212
• Ó Dónaill, Niall (1977) “cuisle”, in Foclóir Gaeilge–Béarla, Dublin: An Gúm, →ISBN
• de Bhaldraithe, Tomás (1959) “cuisle”, in English-Irish Dictionary, An Gúm
• “cuisle”, in New English-Irish Dictionary, Foras na Gaeilge, 2013-2024

Scottish Gaelic

Etymology

From Middle Irish cuisle (“pipe, tube”), from Old Irish cusle, of obscure origin. Possibly related to Proto-Germanic *husǭ (“outer covering”), from Proto-Indo-European *(s)kew- (“to cover”). Not related to Latin pulsus.

Noun

cuisle f (plural cuislean)

1. a vein or artery
2. pulse
3. stream
4. pipe

Mutation

Mutation of cuisle

radical	lenition
cuisle	chuisle

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