caifeach

Irish

Pronunciation

Etymology 1

(This etymology is missing or incomplete. Please add to it, or discuss it at the Etymology scriptorium.)

Noun

caifeach f (genitive singular caifí, nominative plural caifeacha)

  1. woman wearing coif
  2. small-faced woman
Declension
Declension of caifeach (second declension)
bare forms
singular plural
nominative caifeach caifeacha
vocative a chaifeach a chaifeacha
genitive caifí caifeach
dative caifeach caifeacha
forms with the definite article
singular plural
nominative an chaifeach na caifeacha
genitive na caifí na gcaifeach
dative leis an gcaifeach
don chaifeach 		leis na caifeacha

Etymology 2

From Middle Irish caithmech (“lavish, generous”), from Old Irish caithem (“spending, consuming”).[2] By surface analysis, caitheamh +‎ -ach.

Alternative forms

Adjective

caifeach (genitive singular masculine caifigh, genitive singular feminine caifí, plural caifeacha, comparative caifí)

  1. given to spending; prodigal, wasteful
Declension
Declension of caifeach
Positive singular plural
masculine feminine strong noun weak noun
nominative caifeach chaifeach caifeacha;
chaifeacha2
vocative chaifigh caifeacha
genitive caifí caifeacha caifeach
dative caifeach;
chaifeach1 		chaifeach;
chaifigh (archaic) 		caifeacha;
chaifeacha2
Comparative níos caifí
Superlative is caifí

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
  • baothchaifeach (“prodigal, profligate”)
  • caifeachán m (“prodigal, profligate, squanderer”)
  • caifeachas m (“prodigality, wastefulness”)

Mutation

Mutated forms of caifeach
radical lenition eclipsis
caifeach chaifeach gcaifeach

Note: Certain mutated forms of some words can never occur in standard Modern Irish.
All possible mutated forms are displayed for convenience.

References

  1. ^ Quiggin, E. C. (1906) A Dialect of Donegal, Cambridge University Press, § 319, page 112
  2. ^ Gregory Toner, Sharon Arbuthnot, Máire Ní Mhaonaigh, Marie-Luise Theuerkauf, Dagmar Wodtko, editors (2019), “caithmech”, in eDIL: Electronic Dictionary of the Irish Language

Further reading

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