féidir

Irish

Etymology

From both Middle Irish éitir (“strength”) and the autonomous ("passive") form of fétaid (“be able”). The initial "f" is a reanalysing of the verb to match féad, and akin to the added "f" in forms such as feic.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈfʲeːdʲəɾʲ/

Noun

féidir (defective)

1. ability
2. possibility

Usage notes

• This noun is used in two places in Irish:

1. The expression is féidir le (“to be able”)
2. The expression b’fhéidir (“maybe”)

Derived terms

• féideartha (“possible, potential, feasible”)

See also

• féad

Mutation

Mutated forms of féidir

radical	lenition	eclipsis
féidir	fhéidir	bhféidir

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

Further reading

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