ceithre
Irish
Pronunciation
Usage notes
- May be used with nouns in both the singular and plural; the singular is more common in general, but the plural must be used with units of measurement and the like. Triggers lenition of nouns in the singular and h-prothesis of nouns in the plural.
- ceithre chat ― four cats
- ceithre troithe ― four feet
- ceithre héin ― four birds
- When used with the definite article, the definite article is always in the plural. When used with adjectives, the adjective is also in the plural and is always lenited after nouns in the singular; after nouns in the plural, the adjective only lenites after slender consonants:
- ceithre chapall bhána ― four white horses
- na ceithre eaglais mhóra ― the four big churches
- But:
- ceithre capaill bhána ― four white horses
- na ceithre heaglaisí móra ― the four big churches
- When referring to human beings, the personal form ceathrar is used.
Derived terms
- ceithre fichid, ceithre scór (“four score, eighty”)
Mutation
| Irish mutation | ||
|---|---|---|
| Radical | Lenition | Eclipsis |
| ceithre | cheithre | gceithre |
| Note: Some of these forms may be hypothetical. Not every possible mutated form of every word actually occurs. | ||
Further reading
- Ó Dónaill, Niall (1977) “ceithre”, in Foclóir Gaeilge–Béarla, Dublin: An Gúm, →ISBN
- Entries containing “ceithre” in English-Irish Dictionary, An Gúm, 1959, by Tomás de Bhaldraithe.
- Entries containing “ceithre” in New English-Irish Dictionary by Foras na Gaeilge.
- Quiggin, E. C. (1906) A Dialect of Donegal, Cambridge University Press, page 71
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