dorchae

See also: dorch-

Old Irish

Etymology

From some root prefixed with do-; paired as an opposite with sorchae. This etymology is incomplete. You can help Wiktionary by elaborating on the origins of this term.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): [ˈdorxɘ]

Adjective

dorchae (comparative dorchu)

1. dark, gloomy
   • c. 800–825, Diarmait, Milan Glosses on the Psalms, published in Thesaurus Palaeohibernicus (reprinted 1987, Dublin Institute for Advanced Studies), edited and with translations by Whitley Stokes and John Strachan, vol. I, pp. 7–483, Ml. 30^a4

     sechis amal no·ngnetis ón gním inn aithchi dorchi

     as though they did a deed on a dark night

2. obscure
3. gloomy, morose

Inflection

io/iā-stem
Singular	Masculine	Feminine	Neuter
Nominative	dorchae	dorchae	dorchae
Vocative	dorchai
Accusative	dorchae	dorchai
Genitive	dorchai	dorchae	dorchai
Dative	dorchu	dorchai	dorchu
Plural	Masculine	Feminine/neuter
Nominative	dorchai	dorchai
Vocative	dorchai dorchu*
Accusative	dorchai dorchu*
Genitive	dorchae
Dative	dorchaib
Notes	* when substantivized

Antonyms

• sorchae

Derived terms

• dorchacht (“darkness”)

Descendants

• Irish: dorcha
• Manx: dorraghey
• Scottish Gaelic: dorcha

Noun

dorchae n

1. darkness, gloom
   • c. 800–825, Diarmait, Milan Glosses on the Psalms, published in Thesaurus Palaeohibernicus (reprinted 1987, Dublin Institute for Advanced Studies), edited and with translations by Whitley Stokes and John Strachan, vol. I, pp. 7–483, Ml. 140^c5

     is Dǽ int soilse amal as nDæ inna dorche

     the light is God’s even as the darkness is God’s

   • c. 845, St Gall Glosses on Priscian, published in Thesaurus Palaeohibernicus (reprinted 1975, Dublin Institute for Advanced Studies), edited and with translations by Whitley Stokes and John Strachan, vol. II, pp. 49–224, Sg. 183^b3

     dond fritobairt maill frita·taibret na dorche don ṡoilsi

     from the slow opposition with which the darkness opposes itself to the light

2. (figurative) obscurity, mystery

Usage notes

Often used in the plural, especially in early texts, probably under the influence of Latin tenebrae.

Inflection

Neuter io-stem
	Singular	Dual	Plural
Nominative	dorchaeN	dorchaeL	dorchaeL
Vocative	dorchaeN	dorchaeL	dorchaeL
Accusative	dorchaeN	dorchaeL	dorchaeL
Genitive	dorchaiL	dorchaeL	dorchaeN
Dative	dorchuL	dorchaib	dorchaib
Initial mutations of a following adjective: H = triggers aspiration L = triggers lenition N = triggers nasalization

Mutation

Old Irish mutation
Radical	Lenition	Nasalization
dorchae	dorchae pronounced with /ð(ʲ)-/	ndorchae
Note: Some of these forms may be hypothetical. Not every possible mutated form of every word actually occurs.

Further reading

• Gregory Toner, Sharon Arbuthnot, Máire Ní Mhaonaigh, Marie-Luise Theuerkauf, Dagmar Wodtko, editors (2019), “dorchae”, in eDIL: Electronic Dictionary of the Irish Language