fírinne

See also: firinne and fìrinne

Irish

Etymology

From Old Irish fírinne, from fír (“true”) (see fíor).

Pronunciation

• (Waterford, Cork) IPA^(key): /ˈfʲiːɾʲɪɲɪ/
• (Kerry) IPA^(key): /ˈfʲiːɾʲənʲə/
• (Connacht, Ulster) IPA^(key): /ˈfʲiːɾʲən̠ʲə/

Noun

fírinne f (genitive singular fírinne, nominative plural fírinní)

1. truth

Declension

Declension of fírinne (fourth declension)

bare forms case singular plural nominative fírinne fírinní vocative a fhírinne a fhírinní genitive fírinne fírinní dative fírinne fírinní forms with the definite article case singular plural nominative an fhírinne na fírinní genitive na fírinne na bhfírinní dative leis an bhfírinne don fhírinne leis na fírinní

Antonyms

• neamhfhírinne

Derived terms

• buanfhírinne f (“eternal truth”)
• déanta na fírinne (“to tell the truth, as a matter of fact”)

Related terms

• fíor (“true”)

Mutation

Mutated forms of fírinne

radical	lenition	eclipsis
fírinne	fhírinne	bhfírinne

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) “fírinne”, in Foclóir Gaeilge–Béarla, Dublin: An Gúm, →ISBN

Old Irish

Etymology

From fírían +‎ -e.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): [ˈɸʲiːrʲin͈ʲe]

Noun

fírinne f

1. justice, righteousness
2. truth

Inflection

Feminine iā-stem

	singular	dual	plural
nominative	fírinneL	—	—
vocative	fírinneL	—	—
accusative	fírinniN	—	—
genitive	fírinne	—	—
dative	fírinniL	—	—

Initial mutations of a following adjective:

• ^H = triggers aspiration
• ^L = triggers lenition
• ^N = triggers nasalization

Quotations

• c. 800, Würzburg Glosses on the Pauline Epistles, published in Thesaurus Palaeohibernicus (reprinted 1987, Dublin Institute for Advanced Studies), edited and with translations by Whitley Stokes and John Strachan, vol. I, pp. 499–712, Wb. 18^c6

  Is machthad limm a threte do·rérachtid máam fírinne et soscéli; .i. i⟨s⟩ súaignid nírubtar gaítha for comairli. Is dían do·rréractid maám ind ṡoscéli.

  I marvel how quickly you pl have abandoned the yoke of righteousness and [the] gospel; i.e. it is clear that your counsels have not been wise. It is swiftly that you have abandoned the yoke of the gospel.

  (literally, “it is a wonder to me its quickness that…”)

• 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. 55^d11

Amal du·berad nech hi ceist do Dauid: “Húare is móir sléb fírinne Dǽ, cid ara fodmai-siu, ⟨a⟩ Dauid, didiu a ndu imnedaib ⁊ frithoircnib fodaimi? Air it fírían-⟨s⟩u.” Ícaid-som didiu anísin, a n-as·mbeir iudicia Domini abisus multa .i. ataat mesai Dǽ nephchomtetarrachti amal abis ⁊ amal fudumain. Is ed in sin fod·era in n-erígim, cid ara fodaim int aís fírían inna fochaidi, ⁊ cid ara mbiat in pecthaig isnaib soinmechaib.

As though someone had put as a question to David: “Because God’s righteousness is as great as a mountain, why then, David, dost thou suffer what of afflictions and injuries thou sufferest? For thou art righteous.” He solves that then when he says “iudicia Domini abyssus multa”, i.e. there are judgments of God incomprehensible like an abyss and like a depth. That is what causes the complaint why the righteous folk endure tribulations, and why sinners are in prosperity.

Descendants

• Irish: fírinne
• Manx: firriney
• Scottish Gaelic: fìrinne

Mutation

Mutation of fírinne

radical	lenition	nasalization
fírinne	ḟírinne	fírinne 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), “fírinne”, in eDIL: Electronic Dictionary of the Irish Language