focul

Old Irish

Alternative forms

foccul

Etymology

Once thought to be a loanword from Latin vocābulum (“appellation, designation”), but more likely a native word from Proto-Celtic *woxtlom (compare Welsh gwaethl (“argument”)), from Proto-Indo-European *wokʷtlom (compare Sanskrit वक्त्र (vaktrá, “mouth”)), from *wekʷ- (“to speak”).^[1] The older theory was defended in the print edition of Matasović’s dictionary,^[2] but the online Addenda et Corrigenda reflect the newer theory.^[3]

Pronunciation

IPA^(key): [ˈɸokul]

Noun

focul n or m

word

Inflection

Neuter o-stem
	Singular	Dual	Plural
Nominative	focul^N	focul^N	focul^L, focula
Vocative	focul^N	focul^N	focul^L, focula
Accusative	focul^N	focul^N	focul^L, focula
Genitive	focuil^L	focul	focul^N
Dative	focul^L	foculaib	foculaib
Initial mutations of a following adjective: ^H = triggers aspiration ^L = triggers lenition ^N = triggers nasalization

Descendants

Irish: focal
Manx: fockle
Scottish Gaelic: facal

Mutation

Mutation of *focul*
radical	lenition	nasalization
focul	ḟocul	focul 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.

References

^ Stüber, Karin (1998) The Historical Morphology of n-Stems in Celtic, Maynooth: Department of Old Irish, National University of Ireland, →ISBN, page 70.
^ Matasović, Ranko (2009) Etymological Dictionary of Proto-Celtic (Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series; 9), Leiden: Brill, →ISBN, page 429
^ Matasović, Ranko (2011 December) “Addenda et corrigenda to Ranko Matasović’s Etymological Dictionary of Proto-Celtic (Brill, Leiden 2009)”, in Homepage of Ranko Matasović‎^[1], Zagreb, page 43

Romanian

Noun

focul

definite nominative/accusative singular of foc

[1] Stüber, Karin (1998) The Historical Morphology of n-Stems in Celtic, Maynooth: Department of Old Irish, National University of Ireland, →ISBN, page 70.

[2] Matasović, Ranko (2009) Etymological Dictionary of Proto-Celtic (Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series; 9), Leiden: Brill, →ISBN, page 429

[3] Matasović, Ranko (2011 December) “Addenda et corrigenda to Ranko Matasović’s Etymological Dictionary of Proto-Celtic (Brill, Leiden 2009)”, in Homepage of Ranko Matasović‎^[1], Zagreb, page 43

[1]

[2]

[3]