maidhm

Irish

Etymology

From Old Irish maidm, verbal noun of maidid. The verb is denominal from the verbal noun, while the rare synonym maígh comes directly from the Old Irish verb.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /mˠəimʲ/

Noun

maidhm f or m (genitive singular maidhme or madhma, nominative plural maidhmeanna or madhmanna)

1. break, burst, eruption
2. defeat, rout (act of defeating and breaking up an army or another opponent)
3. loud report, explosion
4. detonation
5. breaker (wave)

   Synonym: maidhm thoinne

6. (nonstandard) verbal noun of maidhm
7. Alternative form of mám

Declension

Declension of maidhm (second declension)

bare forms case singular plural nominative maidhm maidhmeanna vocative a mhaidhm a mhaidhmeanna genitive maidhme maidhmeanna dative maidhm maidhmeanna forms with the definite article case singular plural nominative an mhaidhm na maidhmeanna genitive na maidhme na maidhmeanna dative leis an maidhm don mhaidhm leis na maidhmeanna

Alternative declension

Declension of maidhm (third declension)

bare forms case singular plural nominative maidhm madhmanna vocative a mhaidhm a mhadhmanna genitive madhma madhmanna dative maidhm madhmanna forms with the definite article case singular plural nominative an mhaidhm na madhmanna genitive na madhma na madhmanna dative leis an maidhm don mhaidhm leis na madhmanna

Derived terms

• maidhm bháistí (“cloudburst”)
• maidhm rabharta (“surging tide, bore”)
• maidhm sheicne (“hernia”)
• maidhm shléibhe (“avalanche”)
• maidhm shneachta (“avalanche”)
• maidhm thalún (“landslide”)
• maidhm thaoide (“surging tide, bore”)
• maidhm thoinne (“breaker”)
• maidhm thuile (“flash flood”)

Verb

maidhm (present analytic madhmann, future analytic madhmfaidh, verbal noun madhmadh, past participle madhmtha) (transitive, intransitive)

1. break, burst, erupt
2. defeat, rout
3. detonate

Conjugation

conjugation of maidhm (first conjugation – A)

		singular			plural			relative	autonomous
		first	second	third	first	second	third
indicative	present	madhmaim	madhmann tú; madhmair†	madhmann sé, sí	madhmaimid	madhmann sibh	madhmann siad; madhmaid†	a mhadhmann; a mhadhmas / a madhmann*	madhmtar
	past	mhadhim mé; mhadhmas	mhadhim tú; mhadhmais	mhadhim sé, sí	mhadhmamar; mhadhim muid	mhadhim sibh; mhadhmabhair	mhadhim siad; mhadhmadar	a mhadhim / ar mhadhim*	madhmadh
	past habitual	mhadhmainn / madhmainn‡‡	mhadhmtá / madhmtᇇ	mhadhmadh sé, sí / madhmadh sé, s퇇	mhadhmaimis; mhadhmadh muid / madhmaimis‡‡; madhmadh muid‡‡	mhadhmadh sibh / madhmadh sibh‡‡	mhadhmaidís; mhadhmadh siad / madhmaidís‡‡; madhmadh siad‡‡	a mhadhmadh / a madhmadh*	mhadhmtaí / madhmta퇇
future		madhmfaidh mé; madhmfad	madhmfaidh tú; madhmfair†	madhmfaidh sé, sí	madhmfaimid; madhmfaidh muid	madhmfaidh sibh	madhmfaidh siad; madhmfaid†	a mhadhmfaidh; a mhadhmfas / a madhmfaidh*	madhmfar
conditional		mhadhmfainn / madhmfainn‡‡	mhadhmfá / madhmfᇇ	mhadhmfadh sé, sí / madhmfadh sé, s퇇	mhadhmfaimis; mhadhmfadh muid / madhmfaimis‡‡; madhmfadh muid‡‡	mhadhmfadh sibh / madhmfadh sibh‡‡	mhadhmfaidís; mhadhmfadh siad / madhmfaidís‡‡; madhmfadh siad‡‡	a mhadhmfadh / a madhmfadh*	mhadhmfaí / madhmfa퇇
subjunctive	present	go madhma mé; go madhmad†	go madhma tú; go madhmair†	go madhma sé, sí	go madhmaimid; go madhma muid	go madhma sibh	go madhma siad; go madhmaid†	—	go madhmtar
	past	dá madhmainn	dá madhmtá	dá madhmadh sé, sí	dá madhmaimis; dá madhmadh muid	dá madhmadh sibh	dá madhmaidís; dá madhmadh siad	—	dá madhmtaí
imperative		madhmaim	madhim	madhmadh sé, sí	madhmaimis	madhmaigí; madhmaidh†	madhmaidís	—	madhmtar
verbal noun		madhmadh
past participle		madhmtha

* indirect relative
† archaic or dialect form
‡‡ dependent form used with particles that trigger eclipsis

Alternative forms

• maidh, maidhmigh

Mutation

Mutated forms of maidhm

radical	lenition	eclipsis
maidhm	mhaidhm	not applicable

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) “maidhm”, in Foclóir Gaeilge–Béarla, Dublin: An Gúm, →ISBN
• Dinneen, Patrick S. (1904) “maiḋm”, in Foclóir Gaeḋilge agus Béarla, 1st edition, Dublin: Irish Texts Society, page 457
• Gregory Toner, Sharon Arbuthnot, Máire Ní Mhaonaigh, Marie-Luise Theuerkauf, Dagmar Wodtko, editors (2019), “maidm”, in eDIL: Electronic Dictionary of the Irish Language
• de Bhaldraithe, Tomás (1959) “maidhm”, in English-Irish Dictionary, An Gúm
• “maidhm”, in New English-Irish Dictionary, Foras na Gaeilge, 2013-2025