ropaire

Irish

Alternative forms

• rapaire, ropadóir

Etymology

From rop (“thrust, stab”, verb) +‎ -aire (agent noun suffix).

Noun

ropaire m (genitive singular ropaire, nominative plural ropairí)

1. thruster, stabber; violent person
2. cut-purse, robber; scoundrel
3. (historical) rapparee
4. (historical) rap (any of the tokens that passed current for a halfpenny in Ireland in the early part of the eighteenth century)

Declension

Declension of ropaire (fourth declension)

bare forms case singular plural nominative ropaire ropairí vocative a ropaire a ropairí genitive ropaire ropairí dative ropaire ropairí forms with the definite article case singular plural nominative an ropaire na ropairí genitive an ropaire na ropairí dative leis an ropaire don ropaire leis na ropairí

Derived terms

• ropaire (bóthair) (“highwayman”)
• ropaire gaid, ropaire an ghaid (“gallows-bird”)
• ropaire mná (“virago”)
• ropaire taisceadán (“safe-breaker, safecracker”)
• ropaire tí (“house-breaker”)
• ropaireacht (“stabbing, violence; snatching, thieving; villainy”)

 

Further reading

• Ó Dónaill, Niall (1977) “ropaire”, in Foclóir Gaeilge–Béarla, Dublin: An Gúm, →ISBN
• de Bhaldraithe, Tomás (1959) “ropaire”, in English-Irish Dictionary, An Gúm
• “ropaire”, in New English-Irish Dictionary, Foras na Gaeilge, 2013-2024