déirc

Irish

Alternative forms

• déirce f

Etymology

From Old Irish deercc (“God's love; charity”), a Christian compound of Día (“God”) and serc (“love”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /dʲeːɾʲc/

Noun

déirc f (genitive singular déirce)

1. charity, alms(-giving)

   Déirc dá chuid féin (a thabhairt) don amadán. (proverb)

   (To) feed a dog with his own tail

   (literally, “To give the fool charity from his own belongings.”)

   Déirc an Domhnaigh a bhriseas droim an diabhail. (proverb)

   Occasional almsgiving is not charity in the true sense.

   (literally, “Sunday charity overloads the devil’s back.”)

Declension

Declension of déirc (second declension, no plural)

bare forms case singular nominative déirc vocative a dhéirc genitive déirce dative déirc forms with the definite article case singular nominative an déirc genitive na déirce dative leis an déirc don déirc

Synonyms

• (alms-giving): déanamh déirce

Derived terms

• ábhar déirce (“an object of charity”)
• altú na déirce (“thanksgiving for alms”)
• bean déirce (“beggar(-woman)”)
• déirc don phocán lán (“undeserving charity”)
• díol déirce (“object of charity”)
• dóigh déirce (“generous almsgiver”)
• fear déirce (“beggar(-man)”)
• ord déirce (“mendicant order”)

 

Mutation

Mutated forms of déirc

radical	lenition	eclipsis
déirc	dhéirc	ndéirc

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), “deercc”, in eDIL: Electronic Dictionary of the Irish Language
• Finck, F. N. (1899) Die araner mundart [The Aran Dialect] (in German), volume II, Marburg: Elwert’sche Verlagsbuchhandlung, page 80
• Ó Dónaill, Niall (1977) “déirc”, in Foclóir Gaeilge–Béarla, Dublin: An Gúm, →ISBN