saordha
Irish
Etymology
From Old Irish saerda, from saer (“freeman; artificer”).
Adjective
saordha
- (literary) noble
- 1700, Aodhagán Ó Rathaille, Dánta Aodhagáin Uí Rathaille, "Ar Bhás Sheagháin Mheirgigh Uí Mhathaghamhna":
- Do réir a chumais, dar Muiris níor bhréag san / Ná raibh diuic ná prionnsa i nÉirinn / Triath ná easpog, sagart ná cléireach/ Do b'fhearr 'ná Seaghán i gcáilibh saordha.
- According to his means, by Muiris it is no falsehood / There were neither duke nor prince in Erin / Nor chieftain, nor bishop, nor priest, nor scholar / Who surpassed John in noble attributes.
- alternative form of saorga (“artificial”)
Mutation
| radical | lenition | eclipsis |
|---|---|---|
| saordha | shaordha after an, tsaordha |
not applicable |
Note: Certain mutated forms of some words can never occur in standard Modern Irish.
All possible mutated forms are displayed for convenience.
Further reading
- Ó Dónaill, Niall (1977) “saordha”, in Foclóir Gaeilge–Béarla, Dublin: An Gúm, →ISBN
- Gregory Toner, Sharon Arbuthnot, Máire Ní Mhaonaigh, Marie-Luise Theuerkauf, Dagmar Wodtko, editors (2019), “saerda”, in eDIL: Electronic Dictionary of the Irish Language