cnáimhfhiach

Irish

Alternative forms

Etymology

From cnámh (“bone”) +‎ fiach (“raven”).

Pronunciation

Noun

cnáimhfhiach m (genitive singular cnáimhfhiaigh, nominative plural cnáimhfhiacha)

  1. A bird of some kind. Further details are uncertain. Possibilities include:
    1. sea bird[1]
    2. rook, raven[2]
    3. black kite[3]

Usage notes

Different sources provide different definitions. The fact that the word is a compound of fiach (“raven”) supports Dinneen’s suggestion of “rook, raven”. Ó Dónaill’s suggestion of “black kite” probably does not refer to Milvus migrans as that bird is not found in Ireland, making it unlikely that Quiggin’s early 20th-century informants in rural County Donegal would have a native name for it.

Declension

Declension of cnáimhfhiach (first declension)
bare forms
singular plural
nominative cnáimhfhiach cnáimhfhiacha
vocative a chnáimhfhiaigh a chnáimhfhiacha
genitive cnáimhfhiaigh cnáimhfhiach
dative cnáimhfhiach cnáimhfhiacha
forms with the definite article
singular plural
nominative an cnáimhfhiach na cnáimhfhiacha
genitive an chnáimhfhiaigh na gcnáimhfhiach
dative leis an gcnáimhfhiach
don chnáimhfhiach 		leis na cnáimhfhiacha

Mutation

Mutated forms of cnáimhfhiach
radical lenition eclipsis
cnáimhfhiach chnáimhfhiach gcnáimhfhiach

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

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 Quiggin, E. C. (1906) A Dialect of Donegal, Cambridge University Press, § 315, page 110
  2. ^ Dinneen, Patrick S. (1904) “cnáiṁ-ḟiaċ”, in Foclóir Gaeḋilge agus Béarla, 1st edition, Dublin: Irish Texts Society, page 155
  3. ^ Ó Dónaill, Niall (1977) “cnáimhfhiach”, in Foclóir Gaeilge–Béarla, Dublin: An Gúm, →ISBN
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