sneachta

Irish

Etymology

From Old Irish snechtae, from Proto-Indo-European *snéygʷʰs.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈʃnʲaxt̪ˠə/, /ˈʃnʲãxt̪ˠə/
• (Cois Fharraige) IPA^(key): /ˈʃnʲæːxt̪ˠə/

Noun

sneachta m (genitive singular sneachta, nominative plural sneachtaí)

1. snow (precipitation)

   Níorbh iontaí liom an sneachta dearg ná é. ― Nothing would surprise me more. (literally, “Red snow would not be more surprising to me than that.”)

Declension

Declension of sneachta

Fourth declension

Bare forms Case Singular Plural Nominative sneachta sneachtaí Vocative a shneachta a shneachtaí Genitive sneachta sneachtaí Dative sneachta sneachtaí

Forms with the definite article Case Singular Plural Nominative an sneachta na sneachtaí Genitive an tsneachta na sneachtaí Dative leis an sneachta don sneachta leis na sneachtaí

Derived terms

• bratóg shneachta f (“snowflake”)
• bróg shneachta f (“snowshoe”)
• cáithnín sneachta m (“hailstone”)
• calóg shneachta f (“snowflake”)
• céachta sneachta m (“snow-plough”)
• cloch shneachta f (“hailstone”)
• dairt sneachta (“(cast of) snowball”)
• deargán sneachta m (“red-wing”)
• fear sneachta m (“snowman”)
• fíneog shneachta f (“snowflake”)
• garbhóg shneachta f (“large hailstone”)
• gealóg shneachta f (“snow bunting”)
• liopard sneachta m (“snow leopard”)
• lóipín sneachta m (“snowflake”)
• lubhóg shneachta f (“snowflake”)
• maidhm shneachta f (“avalanche”)
• meall sneachta m (“snowball”)
• muc shneachta f (“snowdrift; large snowball”)
• plúirín sneachta m (“snowdrop”)
• ráth sneachta m (“snowdrift”)
• scáil sneachta (“snow-blink”)
• síobadh sneachta m (“blizzard”)
• sneachtach (“snowy”, adjective)
• sneachtaí (“snowy”, adjective)
• sneachtúil (“snowy”, adjective)
• troighean sneachta (“covering of (melting) snow”)

 

Mutation

Irish mutation
Radical	Lenition	Eclipsis
sneachta	shneachta after an, tsneachta	not applicable
Note: Some of these forms may be hypothetical. Not every possible mutated form of every word actually occurs.

Further reading

• Ó Dónaill, Niall (1977) “sneachta”, in Foclóir Gaeilge–Béarla, Dublin: An Gúm, →ISBN