fóesam
Old Irish
Alternative forms
- foísam
Etymology
From Proto-Celtic *uɸosistamus, from *uɸo- + *sistamus. Cognate to Middle Welsh gwaesaf. Equivalent to fo- + sessam.
Noun
fóesam m (genitive fóesma)
- verbal noun of fo·sisedar: protection
- Colmán's Hymn, published in Thesaurus Palaeohibernicus (reprinted 1987, Dublin Institute for Advanced Studies), edited and with translations by Whitley Stokes and John Strachan, vol. II, p. 306, line 53
- For foísam ríg na ndúle, comairche nachan·[m]éra!
- [May we be] under the safeguard of the King of the elements, a protection which will not betray us!
- Colmán's Hymn, published in Thesaurus Palaeohibernicus (reprinted 1987, Dublin Institute for Advanced Studies), edited and with translations by Whitley Stokes and John Strachan, vol. II, p. 306, line 53
Usage notes
This verbal noun is not interchangeable with foísitiu, which is used to refer to confessions only.
Inflection
| singular | dual | plural | |
|---|---|---|---|
| nominative | fóesam | — | — |
| vocative | fóesam | — | — |
| accusative | fóesamN | — | — |
| genitive | fóesmoH, fóesmaH | — | — |
| dative | fóesamL | — | — |
Initial mutations of a following adjective:
- H = triggers aspiration
- L = triggers lenition
- N = triggers nasalization
Descendants
- Middle Irish: fáesam
- Irish: faoiseamh (“relief”)
Mutation
| radical | lenition | nasalization |
|---|---|---|
| fóesam | ḟóesam | fóesam pronounced with /β̃-/ |
Note: Certain mutated forms of some words can never occur in Old Irish.
All possible mutated forms are displayed for convenience.
Further reading
- Gregory Toner, Sharon Arbuthnot, Máire Ní Mhaonaigh, Marie-Luise Theuerkauf, Dagmar Wodtko, editors (2019), “fáes(s)am”, in eDIL: Electronic Dictionary of the Irish Language