#comhfhocal

With the Urú

The hyphen is used in Irish after t and n when these are attached to a word starting with a vowel:

An t-arán A n-iníon

However, when the vowel is capitalised, it is not used:

An tAlbanach Ár nAthair

This means we use An t-athair for the father (i.e. the parent of someone) but an tAthair for the Father (i.e. a priest).

Remember than the plural possessive (ár/bhur/a) triggers urú: The Possessive Adjective

Compound Words

The hyphen is also used in compound words

When it separates two vowels:

mí-ádh

When it separates two of the same consonant sounds:

droch-chaint sár-riail

In a three-part compound word:

buan-chomhchoiste

Between prefixes do-, fo-, so- and bha, bhla, bhra, dha, gha, ghla, ghra, mha:

do-bhlasta; fo-bhaile

In titles

An Príomh-Bhreitheamh

After the prefixes an- and dea-:

an-mhór, dea-nuacht

Crom refers to something bent or stooped over. 

A cromóg is a hooked nose or a hooked stick. It uses the diminutive suffix -óg, which means it is literally “little bent one”. 

Srón (nose)  → cromshrón (hook nose) Súileach (eyed) → cromshúileach (condescending look) Ceann (head)  → cromcheann (bowed head)

A cromshrónach describes someone with a hooked nose. Adding the suffix -ach here changes the noun (hook-nose) to an adjective (hook-nosed).

The word bréag refers to a lie or something false, so with the diminutive -án, should form “little lie”. Bréagán, however, refers to a toy; a plaything or a doll. 

Other bréag words include:

We know from Forming Compound Words that the second part usually takes séimhiú, with a few exceptions of not taking any mutation at all. However, there is the one prefix that actually triggers urú—the prefix éa. 

In this case, however, the letter that is being eclipsed is omitted entirely in the compound word. 

Introduction: The Eclipsis

Éa is equivalent to “un-” as a prefix:

Cothrom: level; balance Éagothrom: unevenness, imbalance

Cosúil: similar to Éagsúil: dissimilar

Cóir: justice Éagóir: injustice

Similarly, with ‘T’s:

Trom: heavy Éadrom: light

Although this isn’t a particularly common prefix, I find it interesting. Eachtar-, as a prefix, means “external”, “outlying” or “foreign”. 

With this information, you may be able to guess that eachtardhomhanda means extraterrestrial or “beyond terrestial”. We are also able to make guesses that domhanda pertains to domhain, meaning “Earth”.

Eachtar: beyond Domhanda: terrestrial

Less obviously, though, we have eachtarchríoch: foreign territory or “beyond the end”.  

The prefix leas- sounds nothing at all like leas as a word. 

Ó Dónaill’s Foclóir Gaeilge-Béarla (1977) gives the prefix as:

Vice-, deputy

Step-

leasainm: by-name, nickname

And the word leas itself:

Good, well-being, benefit, interest

Manure, fertilizer

This is because they’re not at all from the same word! The prefix comes from the old English lēas, meaning ‘false’, ‘vain’ or ‘void’, while the word comes from the Old Irish less, meaning ‘benefit’ or ‘profit’. 

In Prefixes, I wrote that neamh meant “non-”. However, neamh as a word on its own means “heaven”, and this causes trouble with guessing what certain compound words might mean! 

For example, in Prefixes, I wrote that

Balbh: mute neamhbhalbh: outspoken

It’s got nothing to do with “heaven”. In fact, I’d argue that it’s more heavenly without “neamh” going into the mix. 

Mostly, when neamh- appears as a prefix, it will be some form of “non-”, “un-” or “-in”, but you might encounter words like neamhaí: heavenly. 

On its own, rí refers to a monarch. As a prefix, though, Ó Dónaill’s Foclóir Gaeilge-Béarla (1977) gives it as:

Royal, kingly, majestic

Exceedingly, very, ultra- 

You can see the relation of the two in the English construction “he was royally screwed”. Note how it’s interchangeable with “he was exceedingly screwed”.

Compound words that include rí as a prefix include:

Rítheaghlach: royal household Ríshona: exceeding happiness  Rímhinic: far too often Rí-ramhar: thick-wristed

What is the last one and how on earth does it mean that, you ask?

Rí as a word, defined by Ó Dónaill’s Foclóir Gaeilge-Béarla (1977):

(a) Sovereign, monarch (b) Ruler, chief (History)

(Of God) 

(Of pre-eminent person or thing) 

King (Cards, chess, draughts)

(a) An Rí rua: chaffinch (Ornithology) (b) Slat an Rí: Belt of Orion (Astrology)

but also…

Forearm

(a) (plural form rítheacha) Rítheacha (géag): limbs; arms, legs  (b) Leg (of meat)