Focail ón nGaeilge a usáidtear i mBearla / Words from Irish which are used in English
Brúigh ar fhocal/ Click on a word:
Bean sidhe – focal lán de mhisteachas Ceilteach / Banshee – a word imbued with Celtic mysticism
As dhá fhocal Ghaeilge, Bean Sidhe, a tháinig an focal ‘Banshee’ isteach sa Bhéarla. Is gnáthach an focal a chlos sa lá atá inniu ann in abairtí ar nós ‘wailing like a banshee,’ ag tagairt don olagón nó don scréach a chuir píobarnach i gcluasa an duine a chuala í. Dar leis an seanchas, thagadh an Bhean Sidhe ar cuairt go dtí an mhuintir de phór glan na nGael ag tuar bhás dhuine de mhuintir an tí de chaoineadh truamhéileach.
The word ‘banshee’ came into English from the Irish words ‘bean sidhe’ meaning ‘woman of the fairies’. Nowadays, most commonly used in a phrase such as ‘wailing like a banshee’, to indicate an ear-splitting scream or lamentation, the bean sidhe of mythology was said to visit families of pure Irish descent and wail mournfully to foretell the death of a family member.
Foinse/source: Britannica [ar line/online]: https://www.britannica.com/topic/banshee (ceadaithe/accessed 13/10/2020); Merriam-Webster [ar líne/online]: https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/banshee (ceadaithe/accessed 13/10/2020).
‘Brogue’ – Coisbheart sa tSeanchas / ‘Brogue’ – a shoe with a long history
Sa séú haois déag, cromadh ar an dtéarma ‘bróg’ a úsáid i dtagairt don bhróg throm, ramhar a chaithtí in Éirinn agus i nGarbhchríocha na hAlban san am sin.
Dar leis an seanchas, chun uisce portaigh agus báisteach a scaoileadh isteach is amach is ea a bhí na poill sa bhróg.
In the 16th century, the term ‘brogue’ began to be used for a stout, heavy shoe worn in Ireland and the Scottish Highlands. The word comes from the Irish ‘bróg’ and the Scottish Gaelic ‘bròg’ simply meaning ‘shoe’.
Rumour has it that the perforations in the shoe were to allow the rain and bog water to drain out!
Foinse/source: Merriam Webster [ar líne/online]: https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/brogue (ceadaithe/accessed 12/10/2020); The Culture Trip [ar líne/online]: https://theculturetrip.com/europe/ireland/articles/13-words-the-irish-gave-the-english-language/ (ceadaithe/accessed 12/10/2020).
Clog – Ag Fógairt na haimsire riamh anall / Clock – a changing meaning through time
Is féidir an focal, ‘clock,’ i mBéarla na aimsire seo a rianú trí iliomad teangacha na haoiseanna siar. Tá a mhacasamhail san Ollainnis, sa bhFraincis, agus i Laidin na meánaoiseanna. Cé nach féidir a bhunús a dheimhniú go húdarásach, is é is dóichíde ná gur ón bhfocal ‘clocc’ na seanGhaelainne a tháinig sé.
Is féidir gur misinéirí tosaigh na hÉireann fé ndeara an focal a theacht isteach i dteangacha eile na hEorpa.
The modern English word ‘clock’ can be traced through numerous languages over centuries. There are equivalents in Dutch, French and medieval Latin. While the origin can’t be verified with certainty, it seems likely that the original word ‘clocc’ was used in old Irish to mean a bell.
The use of the word may well have been spread by early Irish missionaries.
Foinse/source: Etymonline [ar líne/online]: https://www.etymonline.com/word/clock (ceadaithe/accessed 13/10/2020).
Galore – it owes more than just its meaning to Irish
San seachtú haois déag a tháinig an téarma ‘go leor’ chun cinn sa Bhéarla. As an nGaelainn a thagann sé.
I gcomhréir an Bhéarla, tá an téarma neamhghnách sa mhéad go dtagann sé roimis seachas i ndiaidh an ainmfhocail cháilithe mar is dual d’fhocail a chiallaíonn ‘méad.’ Tá an chomhréir seo ag teacht le dul na Gaeilge. Ní amháin gur tugadh isteach an focal ach tugadh isteach gramadach na Gaeilge chomh maith.
The English word ‘galore’ appeared in the language in the 17th century. It has its origins in the Irish phrase ‘go léor’ often translated as ‘til plenty’ or giving the sense ‘enough’.
It’s unusual in English because words denoting quantity usually appear before the noun but ‘galore’ appears after it: ‘there were presents galore’. This positioning is the same as it would be in Irish. It’s not just the meaning of the word which has been adopted in the case of ‘galore’.
Foinse/source: Irish Central [ar líne/online]: https://www.irishcentral.com/culture/9-english-words-you-never-realized-have-irish-roots (ceadaithe/accessed 13/10/2020); Etymonline [ar líne/online]: https://www.etymonline.com/word/galore (ceadaithe/accessed 13/10/2020).
Smidiríní – Focal Mór Gur Bídeach a Bhrí / Smithereens – a big word with a fragmented meaning
Is deacair cuimhneamh ar fhocal is fearr a chuireann cluas le héiseacht ar dhuine ná ‘smidiríní.’ Dar le Foclóir an Choileánaigh ‘blúirí beaga brúscair’ is brí leis an bhfocal. Is beag amhras ar a bhunús – is amhlaidh a tháinig ón bhfocal Gaeilge ‘smidirín’ – Mionfhoirm an fhocail ‘smiodar,’ a chiallaíonn blúire.
Is lú is áirithe cathain a tógadh an focal isteach sa Bhéarla, ámh. Áiríodh ‘smiddereens’ agus ‘shivereens’ ar na litriúcháin difriúla den bhfocal a bailíodh fé lár an naoú haoise dhéag.
San uimhir iolra a úsáidtear an focal i gcónaí i mBéarla.
It’s hard to think of a more evocative word than ‘smithereens’. The Collins Dictionary gives the meaning as ‘little shattered pieces or fragments’. There’s little doubt about its origin – it appears to have come from the Irish word ‘smidirín’ – the diminutive form of the word ‘smiodar’ meaning a fragment.
It’s less certain when the word was adopted into English, though. In the mid-19th century, various spellings were recorded, including ‘smiddereens’ and ‘shivereens’.
In English, the word is always used in the plural.
Foinse/source: Collins Dictionary [ar líne/online]: https://www.collinsdictionary.com/dictionary/english/smithereens (ceadaithe/accessed 13/10/2020); Phrases.org [ar líne/online]: https://www.phrases.org.uk/meanings/blown-to-smithereens.html (ceadaithe/accessed 13/10/2020).
‘So long’ agus ‘Slán’ – an mar a chéile iad? / ‘So long’ and ‘Slán’ – are they one and the same?
Tá bunús an nath cainte ‘so long,’ a chiallaíonn ‘slán,’ doiléir. Is áirithe go raibh sé ar bhéalaibh daoine sna 1800í luatha gur leath go tapaidh timpeall an domhain. Bhí sé coitianta ag mairnéalaigh agus bhíothas le clos go minic ag ‘mórchaladh’ Learphoill.
Tá cúpla insint ar scéal bhunús an fhocail seo, arb é an ceann gur casadh ar an bhfocal Gaeilge ‘slán’ an ceann is mó a luíonn le ciall. Beannacht is ea an focal slán a deirtear de ghnáth sna Gaeltachtaí nuair a bhíonn daoine ag imeacht.
The origin of the slang term ‘so long’ meaning ‘goodbye’ is unclear. The phrase was certainly in use by the early 1800s and quickly spread around the world. It was commonly used among sailors and was often heard in the ‘great sea port’ of Liverpool.
There are a few theories about its origin but one strong contender is that it was a corruption of the Irish word ‘slán’ – meaning ‘health’ – which is often used as a farewell in Irish-speaking areas of Ireland.
Foinse/source: OUPblog [ar líne/online]: https://blog.oup.com/2018/03/the-origin-of-so-long/ (ceadaithe/accessed 12/10/2020).
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