geal
English
Etymology
From Middle English gelen, from Old French geler, from Latin gelāre, from gelu. See gelid.
Verb
geal (third-person singular simple present geals, present participle gealing, simple past and past participle gealed)
Part or all of this entry has been imported from the 1913 edition of Webster’s Dictionary, which is now free of copyright and hence in the public domain. The imported definitions may be significantly out of date, and any more recent senses may be completely missing.
(See the entry for geal in Webster’s Revised Unabridged Dictionary, G. & C. Merriam, 1913)
Irish
Etymology
From Old Irish gel, from Proto-Celtic *gelos, from Proto-Indo-European *ǵʰelh₃- (“to shine”).
Declension
First declension
Bare forms (no plural of this noun)
|
Forms with the definite article:
|
Adjective
geal (genitive singular masculine gil, genitive singular feminine gile, plural geala, comparative gile)
- white
- Tá a craiceann chomh geal le sneachta.
- Her skin is as white as snow.
- 1894 March 1, Peadar Mac Fionnlaoigh, “An rí nach robh le fagháil bháis”, in Irisleabhar na Gaedhilge, volume 1:5, Dublin: Gaelic Union, pages 185–88:
- Tháinic sé colmáin gheala isteach ar an dorus, ⁊ shuidh siad ar philéir go robh an tAifrionn thart, ⁊ annsin chuaidh siad amach ar ais.
- Six white doves came into the door, and they sat upon a pillar till Mass was over, and then they went back out.
- Synonym: bán
- bright
- 2015, Proinsias Mac a' Bhaird, transl.; Maura McHugh, editor, Amhrán na Mara (fiction, paperback), Kilkenny, County Kilkenny; Howth, Dublin: Cartoon Saloon; Coiscéim, translation of Song of the Sea by Will Collins, →ISBN, page 1:
- Thuas i dteach an tsolais, faoi réaltaí geala, canann Bronach Amhrán na Mara dá mac Ben atá cúig bliana d'aois.
- Up in the lighthouse, under bright stars, Bronach sings the Song of the Sea to her five-year-old son, Ben.
-
- clear
- (literary) fallow
- (figuratively) bright, pure; glad, happy; dear, beloved, fond
Declension
Singular | Plural (m/f) | |||
---|---|---|---|---|
Positive | Masculine | Feminine | (strong noun) | (weak noun) |
Nominative | geal | gheal | geala; gheala² | |
Vocative | ghil | geala | ||
Genitive | geale | geala | geal | |
Dative | geal; gheal¹ |
gheal; ghil (archaic) |
geala; gheala² | |
Comparative | níos geale | |||
Superlative | is geale |
¹ When the preceding noun is lenited and governed by the definite article.
² When the preceding noun ends in a slender consonant.
Derived terms
Verb
geal (present analytic gealann, future analytic gealfaidh, verbal noun gealadh, past participle gealta)
- (transitive, intransitive) to whiten, brighten; clear
- Gheal an spéir. ― The sky cleared.
- (transitive, intransitive, figurative) to make, become, glad, happy, fond
Conjugation
singular | plural | relative | autonomous | ||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
first | second | third | first | second | third | ||||
indicative | present | gealaim | gealann tú; gealair† |
gealann sé, sí | gealaimid | gealann sibh | gealann siad; gealaid† |
a ghealann; a ghealas / a ngealann*; a ngealas* |
gealtar |
past | gheal mé; ghealas | gheal tú; ghealais | gheal sé, sí | ghealamar; gheal muid | gheal sibh; ghealabhair | gheal siad; ghealadar | a gheal / ar gheal* |
gealadh | |
past habitual | ghealainn / ngealainn‡‡ | ghealtá / ngealtᇇ | ghealadh sé, sí / ngealadh sé, s퇇 | ghealaimis; ghealadh muid / ngealaimis‡‡; ngealadh muid‡‡ | ghealadh sibh / ngealadh sibh‡‡ | ghealaidís; ghealadh siad / ngealaidís‡‡; ngealadh siad‡‡ | a ghealadh / a ngealadh* |
ghealtaí / ngealta퇇 | |
future | gealfaidh mé; gealfad |
gealfaidh tú; gealfair† |
gealfaidh sé, sí | gealfaimid; gealfaidh muid |
gealfaidh sibh | gealfaidh siad; gealfaid† |
a ghealfaidh; a ghealfas / a ngealfaidh*; a ngealfas* |
gealfar | |
conditional | ghealfainn / ngealfainn‡‡ | ghealfá / ngealfᇇ | ghealfadh sé, sí / ngealfadh sé, s퇇 | ghealfaimis; ghealfadh muid / ngealfaimis‡‡; ngealfadh muid‡‡ | ghealfadh sibh / ngealfadh sibh‡‡ | ghealfaidís; ghealfadh siad / ngealfaidís‡‡; ngealfadh siad‡‡ | a ghealfadh / a ngealfadh* |
ghealfaí / ngealfa퇇 | |
subjunctive | present | go ngeala mé; go ngealad† |
go ngeala tú; go ngealair† |
go ngeala sé, sí | go ngealaimid; go ngeala muid |
go ngeala sibh | go ngeala siad; go ngealaid† |
— | go ngealtar |
past | dá ngealainn | dá ngealtá | dá ngealadh sé, sí | dá ngealaimis; dá ngealadh muid |
dá ngealadh sibh | dá ngealaidís; dá ngealadh siad |
— | dá ngealtaí | |
imperative | gealaim | geal | gealadh sé, sí | gealaimis | gealaigí; gealaidh† |
gealaidís | — | gealtar | |
verbal noun | gealadh | ||||||||
past participle | gealta |
* Indirect relative
† Archaic or dialect form
‡‡ Dependent form used with particles that trigger eclipsis
Mutation
Irish mutation | ||
---|---|---|
Radical | Lenition | Eclipsis |
geal | gheal | ngeal |
Note: Some of these forms may be hypothetical. Not every possible mutated form of every word actually occurs. |
Further reading
- Ó Dónaill, Niall (1977), “geal”, in Foclóir Gaeilge–Béarla, Dublin: An Gúm, →ISBN
- G. Toner, M. Ní Mhaonaigh, S. Arbuthnot, D. Wodtko, M.-L. Theuerkauf, editors (2019), “1 gel”, in eDIL: Electronic Dictionary of the Irish Language
- Sjoestedt, M. L. (1931) Phonétique d’un parler irlandais de Kerry (in French), Paris: Librairie Ernest Leroux, page 24
Scottish Gaelic
Etymology
From Old Irish gel, from Proto-Celtic *gelos, from Proto-Indo-European *ǵʰelh₃- (“to shine”).
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): /kʲaɫ̪/
Adjective
geal (comparative gile)
Declension
Derived terms
Mutation
Scottish Gaelic mutation | |
---|---|
Radical | Lenition |
geal | gheal |
Note: Some of these forms may be hypothetical. Not every possible mutated form of every word actually occurs. |
See also
bàn, geal | glas | dubh |
dearg; ruadh | orainds; donn | buidhe; donn |
uaine | uaine | gorm |
liath; glas | liath | gorm |
purpaidh; guirmean | pinc; purpaidh | pinc |
References
- G. Toner, M. Ní Mhaonaigh, S. Arbuthnot, D. Wodtko, M.-L. Theuerkauf, editors (2019), “1 gel”, in eDIL: Electronic Dictionary of the Irish Language