féith

See also: feith

Irish

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /fʲeː(h)/

Etymology 1

From Old Irish féith, from Proto-Celtic *wētā, *wēttā (“swamp, stream”), probably from Proto-Indo-European *weyh₁- (“to wither”), see also Latin viēscō (“wither”), Lithuanian výsti (“wither”), Old High German wesanēn (“wither, wilt”) and Old Norse visna.

Noun

féith f (genitive singular féithe, nominative plural féitheacha)

1. (anatomy) sinew; muscle
   1. (mollusks) adhesive muscle, foot
2. (anatomy) vein
   1. (mining) seam, thread, lode
   2. (figuratively) streak, bent, talent
   3. (botany) rib
3. soft seam in bogland, swampy strip
4. (botany) climbing, twining plant; trailer, vine

Declension

Declension of féith (second declension)

bare forms case singular plural nominative féith féitheacha vocative a fhéith a fhéitheacha genitive féithe féitheacha dative féith féitheacha forms with the definite article case singular plural nominative an fhéith na féitheacha genitive na féithe na bhféitheacha dative leis an bhféith don fhéith leis na féitheacha

Derived terms

• féith bhorrtha
• féithpholladh
• meánfhéith

 

Etymology 2

From Old Irish féith (“calm, stillness”).

Adjective

féith (genitive singular feminine féithe, plural féithe, comparative féithe)

1. calm, still, hushed, quiet (of sea, air)
2. smooth, unruffled (of surface)
3. shy, bashful; quit, retiring (of person)

Declension

Declension of féith

	singular		plural (m/f)
Positive	masculine	feminine	(strong noun)	(weak noun)
nominative	féith	fhéith	féithe; fhéithe2
vocative	fhéith		féithe
genitive		féithe	féithe	féith
dative	féith; fhéith1	fhéith	féithe; fhéithe2
Comparative	níos féithe
Superlative	is féithe

¹ When the preceding noun is lenited and governed by the definite article.
² When the preceding noun ends in a slender consonant.

Derived terms

• féithchiúin

Mutation

Mutated forms of féith

radical	lenition	eclipsis
féith	fhéith	bhféith

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

Old Irish

Alternative forms

• féth

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): [ɸʲeːθʲ]

Noun

féith m

1. calm, stillness
   • 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. 126^a4

     arna té .i. féith forsna muire

     so that it may not go, i.e. a calm over the seas

Declension

Masculine i-stem
	Singular	Dual	Plural
Nominative	féith	—	—
Vocative	féith	—	—
Accusative	féithN	—	—
Genitive	féthoH, féthaH	—	—
Dative	féithL	—	—
Initial mutations of a following adjective: H = triggers aspiration L = triggers lenition N = triggers nasalization

Descendants

• Irish: féith
• ⇒ Middle Irish: féthamail
  • Irish: féithiúil

Mutation

Mutation of féith

radical	lenition	nasalization
féith	ḟéith	féith pronounced with /β(ʲ)-/

Note: Certain mutated forms of some words can never occur in Old 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), “3 féth”, in eDIL: Electronic Dictionary of the Irish Language