ar éigean
Irish
Alternative forms
- ar éigin
Etymology
From the Old Irish prepositional phrase ar éicin (“under compulsion”), from ar (“on account of”) + éicin (“necessity”, dat. sg.).
Adverb
- barely, scarcely, only just, with difficulty
- Tá sé beo ar éigean.
- He is barely alive.
- scarcely (probably not; certainly not)
- An dtiocfaidh sé? —Is ar éigean é.
- Will he come? —Scarcely.
Synonyms
- (probably not; certainly not): ní móide
Derived terms
- ar ais nó ar éigean (“willy nilly”)