searbh

Irish

Etymology

From Old Irish serb (“bitter”), from Proto-Celtic *swerwos (compare Welsh chwerw).

Pronunciation

• (Munster) IPA^(key): /ˈʃaɾˠəvˠ/
• (Connacht) IPA^(key): /ˈʃarˠuː/
• (Ulster) IPA^(key): /ˈʃarˠu/

Adjective

searbh (genitive singular masculine searbh, genitive singular feminine seirbhe, plural searbha, comparative seirbhe)

1. bitter
2. sour, acid

Declension

Declension of searbh

Positive	singular		plural
	masculine	feminine	strong noun	weak noun
nominative	searbh	shearbh	searbha; shearbha2
vocative	shearbh		searbha
genitive		seirbhe	searbha	searbh
dative	searbh; shearbh1	shearbh	searbha; shearbha2
Comparative	níos seirbhe
Superlative	is seirbhe

¹ When the preceding noun is lenited and governed by the definite article.
² When the preceding noun ends in a slender consonant.

• Archaic vocative/genitive singular masculine and dative singular feminine: seirbh

Derived terms

• searbhán
  • caisearbhán

Mutation

Mutated forms of searbh

radical	lenition	eclipsis
searbh	shearbh after an, tsearbh	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

• Gregory Toner, Sharon Arbuthnot, Máire Ní Mhaonaigh, Marie-Luise Theuerkauf, Dagmar Wodtko, editors (2019), “1 serb ‘bitter’”, in eDIL: Electronic Dictionary of the Irish Language
• Dinneen, Patrick S. (1904) “searḃ”, in Foclóir Gaeḋilge agus Béarla, 1st edition, Dublin: Irish Texts Society, page 630
• Ó Dónaill, Niall (1977) “searbh”, in Foclóir Gaeilge–Béarla, Dublin: An Gúm, →ISBN
• de Bhaldraithe, Tomás (1959) “searbh”, in English-Irish Dictionary, An Gúm
• “searbh”, in New English-Irish Dictionary, Foras na Gaeilge, 2013-2025
• Quiggin, E. C. (1906) A Dialect of Donegal, Cambridge University Press, page 45
• 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 75

Scottish Gaelic

Etymology

From Old Irish serb (“bitter”), from Proto-Celtic *swerwos (compare Welsh chwerw).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈʃɛɾˠɛv/

Adjective

searbh (comparative nas / na b' sèirbhe, superlative as / a b' sèirbhe)

1. sharp, keen
2. pungent, acute, acrid, acrimonious
3. sarcastic, bitter, harsh, severe, embittering
4. poignant
5. shrill, dissonant
6. intolerable, disagreeable, distressful, disgusted
7. distasteful, sour, tart

Mutation

Mutation of searbh

radical	lenition
searbh	shearbh after "an", t-searbh

Note: Certain mutated forms of some words can never occur in standard Scottish Gaelic.
All possible mutated forms are displayed for convenience.