gnúis

See also: gnùis

Irish

Etymology

From Old Irish gnúis.

Pronunciation

• (Munster) IPA^(key): /ɡn̪ˠuːʃ/
• (Galway) IPA^(key): /ɡnˠuːʃ/, /ɡn̪ˠuːʃ/, /ɡɾˠuːʃ/
• (Mayo, Ulster) IPA^(key): /ɡɾˠuːʃ/

Noun

gnúis f (genitive singular gnúise, nominative plural gnúiseanna or núise)

1. face (front part of head), visage, countenance

   Synonyms: aghaidh, éadan

2. face (facial expression)

   Synonym: dreach

3. (specifically) a wry face or expression
4. mien

   gnúis mhaorga ― a noble or lofty mien

Declension

Declension of gnúis (second declension)

bare forms case singular plural nominative gnúis gnúisa vocative a ghnúis a ghnúisa genitive gnúise gnúis dative gnúis gnúisa forms with the definite article case singular plural nominative an ghnúis na gnúisa genitive na gnúise na ngnúis dative leis an ngnúis don ghnúis leis na gnúisa

Mutation

Mutated forms of gnúis

radical	lenition	eclipsis
gnúis	ghnúis	ngnúis

Note: Certain mutated forms of some words can never occur in standard Modern 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), “gnúis”, in eDIL: Electronic Dictionary of the Irish Language
• Dinneen, Patrick S. (1904) “gnúis”, in Foclóir Gaeḋilge agus Béarla, 1st edition, Dublin: Irish Texts Society, page 374
• Ó Dónaill, Niall (1977) “gnúis”, in Foclóir Gaeilge–Béarla, Dublin: An Gúm, →ISBN
• Sjoestedt, M. L. (1931) Phonétique d’un parler irlandais de Kerry [Phonetics of an Irish Dialect of Kerry] (in French), Paris: Librairie Ernest Leroux, page 44

Old Irish

Etymology

From Proto-Celtic *gnūstis, whence also Middle Welsh gnis (“jaw, chin, face”), further origins unclear. Maybe connected to giun (“mouth”). MacBain connects it with Proto-Indo-European *ǵneh₃- (“to know”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ɡnuːsʲ/

Noun

gnúis f (genitive gnúsa)

1. face (front part of head)
   • 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. 15^a20

     Ní foí⟨l⟩sitis déicsin a gnúsa íar mbid dó oc accaldim Dé, oc tindnacul recto dó.

     They would not have endured the beholding of his face after he had been conversing with God, at the bestowing of the law to him.

Declension

Feminine i-stem
	Singular	Dual	Plural
Nominative	gnúis	gnúisL	gnúisiH
Vocative	gnúis	gnúisL	gnúisiH
Accusative	gnúisN	gnúisL	gnúisiH
Genitive	gnúsoH, gnúsaH	gnúsoH, gnúsaH	gnúiseN
Dative	gnúisL	gnúisib	gnúisib
Initial mutations of a following adjective: H = triggers aspiration L = triggers lenition N = triggers nasalization

Descendants

• Irish: gnúis
• Scottish Gaelic: gnùis
• Manx: grooish

Mutation

Mutation of gnúis

radical	lenition	nasalization
gnúis	gnúis pronounced with /ɣ(ʲ)-/	ngnúis

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), “gnúis”, in eDIL: Electronic Dictionary of the Irish Language