dabhach

Irish

FWOTD – 27 December 2022

Alternative forms

dabhaich, dumhach
dabhaigh (Ulster)

Etymology

From Old Irish dabach (“large tub or vat”).^[1]

Pronunciation

(Munster, Connacht) IPA^(key): /ˈd̪ˠauəx/^[2]
(Ulster) IPA^(key): /ˈd̪ˠauwi/^[3] (corresponding to the spelling dabhaigh)

Noun

dabhach f (genitive singular daibhche, nominative plural dabhcha or dabhacha) or
dabhach f (genitive singular dabhcha, nominative plural dabhchanna or daibhcheanna)

vat, tub
- 1899, Franz Nikolaus Finck, Die araner mundart [The Aran Dialect], volume II (overall work in German), Marburg: Elwert’sche Verlagsbuchhandlung, page 62:
  tā n dauəx l̄ān lē fĭōl.
  [Tá an dabhach lán le feoil.]
  The vat is full of meat.
deep waterhole; pool, pond
holy well
- 1899, Franz Nikolaus Finck, Die araner mundart [The Aran Dialect], volume II (overall work in German), Marburg: Elwert’sche Verlagsbuchhandlung, page 62:
  xøniḱ myȷ nə šȧxt cȧmpĺ̥, cȧmpl̥̄ viḱ duəx, agəs dauəx ēnə.
  [Chonaic muid na seacht teampaill, teampall Mhic Duach agus dabhach Éanna.]
  We saw the seven churches, Mac Duagh’s church and Enda’s well.

Declension

Declension of dabhach (second declension)

bare forms
	singular	plural
nominative	dabhach	dabhcha
vocative	a dhabhach	a dhabhcha
genitive	daibhche	dabhcha
dative	dabhach dabhaigh (archaic, dialectal)	dabhcha

forms with the definite article
	singular	plural
nominative	an dabhach	na dabhcha
genitive	na daibhche	na ndabhcha
dative	leis an dabhach leis an dabhaigh (archaic, dialectal) don dabhach don dabhaigh (archaic, dialectal)	leis na dabhcha

Declension of dabhach (third declension)

bare forms
	singular	plural
nominative	dabhach	dabhchanna
vocative	a dhabhach	a dhabhchanna
genitive	dabhcha	dabhchanna
dative	dabhach	dabhchanna

forms with the definite article
	singular	plural
nominative	an dabhach	na dabhchanna
genitive	na dabhcha	na ndabhchanna
dative	leis an dabhach don dabhach	leis na dabhchanna

Alternative plurals: dabhacha, daibhcheanna

Derived terms

dabhach éisc (“fish-pond”)
dabhach fholctha
dabhach lín (“flax-pond”)
dabhach tine (“round low-built fire”)
dabhchach
daibhchín

Mutation

Mutated forms of *dabhach*
radical	lenition	eclipsis
dabhach	dhabhach	ndabhach

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

References

^ Gregory Toner, Sharon Arbuthnot, Máire Ní Mhaonaigh, Marie-Luise Theuerkauf, Dagmar Wodtko, editors (2019), “dabach”, in eDIL: Electronic Dictionary of the Irish Language
^ Finck, F. N. (1899) Die araner mundart [The Aran Dialect] (in German), Zweiter Band: Wörterbuch [Second volume: Dictionary], Marburg: Elwert’sche Verlagsbuchhandlung, page 62
^ Quiggin, E. C. (1906) A Dialect of Donegal, Cambridge University Press, § 143, page 56