caol

Irish

Etymology

From Middle Irish cáel, from Old Irish coíl,[1] from Proto-Celtic *koilos (“thin”) (compare Cornish and Welsh cul).

Pronunciation

  • (Munster) IPA(key): /keːl̪ˠ/, [këːə̯l̪ˠ][2]
  • (Connacht) IPA(key): /kiːlˠ/, /kiːl̪ˠ/
  • (Ulster) IPA(key): /kiːlˠ/, /kiːl̪ˠ/; (older) /kɯːlˠ/

Adjective

caol (genitive singular masculine caoil, genitive singular feminine caoile, plural caola, comparative caoile)

  1. thin, slender, slight (of slender build)
    Synonym: tanaí
  2. narrow
    Synonym: cúng
  3. (sound) thin, shrill
  4. (linguistics) slender (palatalized)
    Caol le caol agus leathan le leathan. (rule in Irish spelling)
    Slender (consonant) goes with slender (vowel) and broad (consonant) with broad (vowel).
  5. dilute (weak, diluted)
  6. (nominalized, masculine) slender part (of body, limb)

Declension

Declension of caol
Positive singular plural
masculine feminine strong noun weak noun
nominative caol chaol caola;
chaola2
vocative chaoil caola
genitive caoile caola caol
dative caol;
chaol1 		chaol;
chaoil (archaic) 		caola;
chaola2
Comparative níos caoile
Superlative is caoile

1 When the preceding noun is lenited and governed by the definite article.
2 When the preceding noun ends in a slender consonant.

Antonyms

Derived terms

Noun

caol m (genitive singular caoil, nominative plural caolta)

  1. narrows, channel

Declension

Declension of caol (first declension)
bare forms
singular plural
nominative caol caolta
vocative a chaoil a chaola
genitive caoil caol
dative caol caolta
forms with the definite article
singular plural
nominative an caol na caolta
genitive an chaoil na gcaol
dative leis an gcaol
don chaol 		leis na caolta

Derived terms

  • caológ (“small channel”)
  • cuir caol ort féin (“sharpen yourself; make yourself scarce”, verb)

Verb

caol (present analytic caolann, future analytic caolfaidh, verbal noun caoladh, past participle caolta)

  1. alternative form of caolaigh (“become thin”)

Conjugation

conjugation of caol (first conjugation – A)
verbal noun caoladh
past participle caolta
tense singular plural relative autonomous
first second third first second third
indicative
present caolaim caolann tú;
caolair† 		caolann sé, sí caolaimid caolann sibh caolann siad;
caolaid† 		a chaolann; a chaolas /
a gcaolann* 		caoltar
past chaol mé; chaolas chaol tú; chaolais chaol sé, sí chaolamar; chaol muid chaol sibh; chaolabhair chaol siad; chaoladar a chaol /
ar chaol* 		caoladh
past habitual chaolainn / gcaolainn‡‡ chaoltá / gcaoltᇇ chaoladh sé, sí / gcaoladh sé, s퇇 chaolaimis; chaoladh muid / gcaolaimis‡‡; gcaoladh muid‡‡ chaoladh sibh / gcaoladh sibh‡‡ chaolaidís; chaoladh siad / gcaolaidís‡‡; gcaoladh siad‡‡ a chaoladh /
a gcaoladh* 		chaoltaí / gcaolta퇇
future caolfaidh mé;
caolfad 		caolfaidh tú;
caolfair† 		caolfaidh sé, sí caolfaimid;
caolfaidh muid 		caolfaidh sibh caolfaidh siad;
caolfaid† 		a chaolfaidh; a chaolfas /
a gcaolfaidh* 		caolfar
conditional chaolfainn / gcaolfainn‡‡ chaolfá / gcaolfᇇ chaolfadh sé, sí / gcaolfadh sé, s퇇 chaolfaimis; chaolfadh muid / gcaolfaimis‡‡; gcaolfadh muid‡‡ chaolfadh sibh / gcaolfadh sibh‡‡ chaolfaidís; chaolfadh siad / gcaolfaidís‡‡; gcaolfadh siad‡‡ a chaolfadh /
a gcaolfadh* 		chaolfaí / gcaolfa퇇
subjunctive
present go gcaola mé;
go gcaolad† 		go gcaola tú;
go gcaolair† 		go gcaola sé, sí go gcaolaimid;
go gcaola muid 		go gcaola sibh go gcaola siad;
go gcaolaid† 		— go gcaoltar
past dá gcaolainn dá gcaoltá dá gcaoladh sé, sí dá gcaolaimis;
dá gcaoladh muid 		dá gcaoladh sibh dá gcaolaidís;
dá gcaoladh siad 		— dá gcaoltaí
imperative
– caolaim caol caoladh sé, sí caolaimis caolaigí;
caolaidh† 		caolaidís — caoltar

* indirect relative
† archaic or dialect form
‡‡ dependent form used with particles that trigger eclipsis

Mutation

Mutated forms of caol
radical lenition eclipsis
caol chaol gcaol

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

References

  1. ^ Gregory Toner, Sharon Arbuthnot, Máire Ní Mhaonaigh, Marie-Luise Theuerkauf, Dagmar Wodtko, editors (2019), “cáel”, in eDIL: Electronic Dictionary of the Irish Language
  2. ^ Sjoestedt, M. L. (1931) Phonétique d’un parler irlandais de Kerry [Phonetics of an Irish Dialect of Kerry] (in French), Paris: Librairie Ernest Leroux, § 138, page 71

Further reading

  • Ó Dónaill, Niall (1977) “caol”, in Foclóir Gaeilge–Béarla, Dublin: An Gúm, →ISBN
  • Dinneen, Patrick S. (1927) “caol”, in Foclóir Gaeḋilge agus Béarla, 2nd edition, Dublin: Irish Texts Society, page 162; reprinted with additions 1996, →ISBN
  • de Bhaldraithe, Tomás (1959) “caol”, in English-Irish Dictionary, An Gúm
  • “caol”, in New English-Irish Dictionary, Foras na Gaeilge, 2013–2025

Scottish Gaelic

FWOTD – 14 November 2015

Etymology

From Middle Irish cáel, from Old Irish coíl, from Proto-Celtic *koilos (“thin”) (compare Cornish and Welsh cul).

Pronunciation

  • IPA(key): /kʰɯːɫ̪/

Adjective

caol

  1. thin, narrow

Antonyms

Derived terms

Noun

caol m (genitive singular caoil, plural caoiltean)

  1. strait, narrows, firth, kyle
  2. the narrow part of anything

Derived terms

Descendants

  • → English: kyle

Mutation

Mutation of caol
radical lenition
caol chaol

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

References

  • Edward Dwelly (1911) “caol”, in Faclair Gàidhlig gu Beurla le Dealbhan [The Illustrated Gaelic–English Dictionary]‎[1], 10th edition, Edinburgh: Birlinn Limited, →ISBN
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