Colin Mark. The Gaelic-English Dictionary/Гэльско-английский словарь
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a 2
ends in a vowel, the rel pron is usually
suppressed
□
cò (a) bhitheas aig a’
choinneimh? who’ll be at the meeting?
□
note that, in Gaelic, the rel pron is
repeated where, in English, it is not: ’s
ann anns a’bhliadhna sin a chaidh iad
a dh’fhuireach sna taighean‘s a ghabh
iad sealbh orra it was in that year that
they went to live in the houses and
[that they] took possession of them
□
note the following usages: latha a
bh’ann one day
□
oidhche a bh’ann
one night etc.
□
bha an duine a bha
seo … a certain man was…
□
a’
frithealadh do àireamh (a) tha (a’)
fàs de luchd-ceannaich attending to
a growing number of customers
à prep from, of, off, out of
□
the form às
is used before a def noun
□
they are
written with the accent, to show the
open nature of the vowel which is not
long
□
not used with people with the
meaning ‘from’ (except when this
means ‘out of’)
□
the às form is also
often found before a vowel e.g. às àite
out of place
□
you may also encounter
the spellings á / ás, or even a / as, but
the form given here is recommended
The prep prons have no accent (with the
exception of the 3rd person masc as
shown) and are formed as follows:
asam from me asad from you às from
him / it masc aiste from her / it fem
asainn from us asaibh from you pl &
polite asta from them
The emph forms of the above are:
asamsa, asadsa, às-san, aistese,
asainne, asaibhse, astasan
□
there are
no contracted forms for prep poss adjs
e.g. à mo from my, à do from your etc.
Examples: às a seo hence
□
à fasan / às
an fhasan out-of-date
□
à measg from
among
□
thàinig iad a-mach à measg
nan craobh they came out from among
the trees
□
cha robh iad fada à cala
nuair a dh’èirich a’ ghaoth gu gailinn
they weren’t far out of harbour when
the wind rose to a gale
□
Co às a tha
thu? Tha à Glaschu Where are you
from? From Glasgow
□
bha i cinnteach
aiste fhèin she was sure of herself
□
bha
iad a’tarraing às they were teasing him
□
bha i a’ tarraing asam she was teas-
ing me
□
see às for further examples.
a- pref
□
all words beginning with this
prefix have been grouped together
below. Strict alphabetical order is
resumed after the a- entries. If a word
with a- is not to be found here, try
under the second element e.g. for
a-seo, look under seo. the recom-
mended spelling
a-bhàn adv down, downwards
□
chaidh sinn uile a-bhàn chun
a’chladaich we all went down to the
beach
a-bhos adv here, over here, down here,
below (when at rest)
□
thall ’s a-bhos
here and there / hither and thither
□
aig seirbhisean thall ’s a-bhos air
feadh Bhreatainn at services here and
there throughout Britain
□
sometimes
loosely used for ‘anywhere, ‘every-
where’
□
cha robh duine thall ’s a-bhos
nach cuala mu a dheidhinn there
wasn’t a person anywhere who hadn’t
heard about it
□
thachair dha a bhith
air chuairt a-bhos anns a’ bhaile
againn he happened to be on a trip
down in our township
□
tha (a) inntinn
ceangailte ris an t-saoghal seo a-bhos
his mind is bound to this world below /
down here
□
tha atharrachadh
mòr air tighinn air an t-suidheachadh
a-bhos an seo there has been a great
change in the situation over here
□
uaireannan tha taobh a bhos na
gealaich dorcha sometimes this side
of the moon is dark (i.e. the side
nearer us)
a-chaoidh
□
see chaoidh
a-cheana
□
see cheana
a-chum
□
see chum
a-ghnàth adv continually, habitually,
always
□
tha àil òga a -ghnàth a’
feitheamh riutha anns an nead young
offspring are always waiting for them
in the nest
a-mach adv forth, forward(s), out
(motion towards), outer (motion)
□
see App. 4 Sect 10.0 for further
details about this and other adverbs of
motion
Examples: o seo a-mach from now on,
from this time forth, evermore, hence-
forth
□
bhon iris seo a-mach from this
issue (of the magazine) onwards
□
o sin a-mach thenceforward
□
mìle
a-mach bhon chladach a mile offshore
□
as fhaide (a-)mach outermost
□
a-mach leat! off you go! (encouragingly)
□
a-mach thu! out! get out!
□
a-mach
leis! away with it!, I wouldn’t have
anything to do with it!
□
is iomadh
rud inntinneach a chitheadh i a-mach
air an uinneig bhig ud many an
interesting thing would she see out of
that little window
□
a chum mèirlich
na h-oidhche a chumail a-mach (in
order) to keep out the thieves of the
night
a-mach is sometimes placed in a
stressed position for dramatic effect
e.g. a-mach gun do ghabh e out he
went …
□
agus a-mach air an doras
gun tug i … and out of the door she
went
□
a-mach air a’ mhuir gun do
leum iad out into the sea they leapt
The phrase a-mach air uairean na
h-obrach outwith working hours carries
an idea of ‘except from’ / ‘apart from’,
and this can be seen in the following
examples: a-mach air na h-eòlaich a
bha anns a’ bhaile except for [the]
aquaintances (who were) in the town
□
note the use of the def art in this last
(cf càirdean)
□
also a-mach o except
for …
□
a-mach o chorra thaigh …
except for a few houses
a-mach air 1. bi a-mach air (a) talk
about, be on about, discuss
□
bha e an
còmhnaidh a-mach air a’ mhasladh a
chaidh a dhèanamh air fhèin he was
always on about the affront that was
inflicted on himself
□
tha e a-mach air
ceathrar bhàrd he is discussing four
poets
□
’s e a’ phuing a tha mi a-mach
air: tha sinn uile nar n-Albannaich the
point I am making is: we are all Scots
(b) be on bad terms with, be at vari-
ance with
□
bha e fhèin is na riagh-
ladairean eile a-mach air a-chèile
riamh on uair sin he [himself] and the
other governors were on bad terms
from then on 2. rach a-mach air fall
out with
□
bha e gus a dhol a-mach air
a’ chuid bu mhò dhiubh he was about
to fall out with most of them
□
chaidh
iad a-mach air a-chèile they fell out
with each other
□
thòisich iad air a
dhol a-mach air a-chèile they began to
fall out with each other
□
is dòcha gun
deach e fhèin agus Seonag a-mach air
a-chèile perhaps he and Janet fell out
with each other
□
but dol a-mach
(q.v.) may also mean ‘carry-on’,
‘behaviour’
For further idioms using a-mach see
bris, bris(t)eadh, brùchd, lorg, leig,
coimhead, comharraich, cuir, cùm,
dèan, dol, druid, dubh, dùin, fad,
fàg, faigh, gabh, leig, fiathaich, rach,
ruaig, sàth, seall, seas, sgaoil, sgeids,
sìn, sìneadh, snàig, sruth, tarraing,
thig, thoir, tionndaidh, tog, treòirich
a-màireach adv on the morrow,
tomorrow, the next / following day
□
sa mhadainn a-màireach tomorrow
morning
□
tràth sa mhadainn
a-màireach early the following / next
morning
□
chì mi thu a-màireach I’ll
see you tomorrow
a-meadhan prep⫹ gen
□
see mead-
han, am meadhan
a-measg prep⫹ gen
□
see measg, am
measg
a-mhàin adv alone, mere, merely, only,
solely
□
cha b’e a-mhàin gun deach
iad don sgoil còmhla it wasn’t only
that they’d gone to school together
□
…
a’ toirt seachad chan e a-mhàin
cofhurtachd ach airgead agus biadh
… giving not only comfort but money
and food
□
tha trì dhiubh ann an Alba
a-mhàin there are three of them in
Scotland alone
□
ach a-mhàin nach …
except that… not … conj
□
… ach a-
mhàin nach urrainn dha duine ain-
meachadh na àite… except that he
cannot nominate someone in his place
□
’s e Seumas a-mhàin a mhair beò
James was the sole survivor (lit. it was
only James who remained alive)
□
… is
chan ann a-mhàin an sin ach … … and
not only there but…
□
……gu sòn-
raichte (ach chan ann a-mhàin) annta
sin airson sgaoileadh poblach…espe-
cially (but not exclusively) in those
intended for public distribution
a-muigh adv outside, out (at rest),
outer, without, forward (of football)
□
see App. 4 Sect 10.0 for further details
about this and other adverbs of motion
a-muigh often translates as an adj / adv
meaning ‘exterior’, ‘outer’, ‘outside’,
‘outwith’
□
na h-Eileanan-a-Muigh the
Outer Isles
□
… a tha faisg air oir
a-muigh Sgrìob Chloinn Uisnigh which
is near the Galaxy’s outer rim
□
air a’
bhlàr a-muigh outdoors, out of doors,
al fresco
□
an taobh a-muigh outside,
exterior noun
□
air an / bhon taobh
a-muigh external
□
chun / a chum an
3 a
taobh a-muigh outwards
□
air taobh a-
muigh uairean sgoile outwith school
hours
a-muigh is sometimes placed in a
stressed position
□
a-muigh bhon a’
bhàgh chithinn am bàta mòr out from
the bay I could see the great ship
Other idioms: cha robh an tuathanach
air a shon a-muigh no a-mach the
farmer wasn’t for it at all
□
cha
leigeadh a mhàthair leis a bhrògan a
chur dheth a-muigh no a-mach his
mother wouldn’t let him take off his
shoes under any circumstances
a-nall adv over (from yonder), hither
□
a-null ’s a-nall hither and thither (lit.
thither and hither)
□
bha iad a’ruith a-
null is a-nall they were running hither
and thither / to and fro
□
a-nall thairis
from overseas / from abroad adv
□
b’ann a-nall thairis a thàinig e he had
come from overseas / from abroad
□
an
cuir thu a-nall an salann? will you
(please) pass the salt?
□
see App. 4
Sect 10.0 for further details about this
and other adverbs of motion
a-nìos adv up (motion from below)
□
thig a-nìos an seo come up here
□
trobhad a-nìos an seo come on up here
□
for more detail about this and similar
advs of rest / motion see App. 4 Sect 10.0
□
some dialects use a-nuas for both
‘down from above’and ‘up from below’
a-nis(e) adv now, next
□
dè nis! what
now / what next!
□
a-nis! a-nis! now!
now! / come now!
□
also found with
the forms a-nist and (formerly) a-nisd
a-nochd adv tonight
□
chì mi thu
a-nochd I’ll see you tonight
a-nuas adv down (lit. ‘from up’)
□
indi-
cates movement from above down
towards the narrator / subject of the
action
□
thàinig an claidheamh a-nuas
air ceann a nàmhaid the sword
came down on his enemy’s head
□
bithidh Donnchadh a-nuas an ceartu-
air Duncan will be down presently
□
a-nuas tro na bliadhnachan down
through the years
□
mas e mac Dhè,
thigeadh e a-nuas on chrann if he is the
son of God, let him come down from
the cross
□
some dialects use
a-nuas for both ‘down from above’and
‘up from below’
□
for more detail about
the usage of this and similar advs of
rest / motion see App. 4 Sect 10.0
an-uiridh adv last year
□
thàinig e a-
nall thairis an-uiridh he came back
from overseas last year
□
tha a’ chuid
mhòr dhe na bha againn san amharc
an uiridh air a dhèanamh a-nise the
majority of what we had in view last
year has now been done
a-null adv across, over (thither)
□
thoir
a-null gu hand (to), hand over (to)
□
thug e an daga a-null thuige he handed
the pistol over to him
□
cuir a-null
hand v, pass (away from the subject)
□
a-null ’s a-nall to and fro, hither and
thither (lit. thither and hither)
□
bha
iad a’ ruith a-null is a-nall they were
running hither and thither / to and fro
□
thug ise sùil a-null chun an rubha
she looked across to the headland
□
…
a tha a’ sealltainn a-null gu Peairt…
which looks across to Perth
□
bha sinn
a’ coimhead a-null air an eilean we
were looking over to the island
□
chaidh mi a-null chun na h-uinneig I
went over to the window
□
a-null
thairis abroad / overseas (going there)
adv
□
tha mo bhràthair a’ dol a-null
thairis my brother’s going abroad /
overseas
□
cha chuireadh deich
mìle mise a-null no a-nall ten miles
wouldn’t bother me at all
□
for more
information about the use of a-null
and similar advs of rest / motion see
App. 4 Sect 10.0
a-raoir (also an-raoir) adv last night
□
am faca tu e a-raoir? did you see him
last night?
□
feasgar a-raoir yesterday
evening
□
feasgar an-dè yesterday
afternoon
a-rèir
□
see rèir, a rèir
a-rèist adv then (⫽ in that case)
□
is
beag an t-iongnadh a-rèist gu bheil
e … it’s little wonder then that he’s …
a-riamh adv ever, never (referring
backwards in time)
□
cha chuala mi
a-riamh a leithid I have never heard its
like
□
chan fhaca mi e (a-)riamh
roimhe I had never seen him before
a-rìs
□
see a-rithist
a-rithist adv 1. afresh, again, anew,
next
□
a-rithist! encore!
□
an-dràsta ’s
a-rithist now and again, occasionally,
spasmodic(ally)
□
tachair a-rithist
recur
□
ach cha do thachair e a-rithist
but it never recurred
□
an can thu sin
a-rithist? will you say that again? will
you repeat that?
□
mar a thuirt mi
a 4
a-rithist is a-rithist … as I’ve said
again and again …
□
Albannach an
toiseach, Breatannach a-rithist mar
gum bitheadh a Scot first, a Briton next
as it were 2. later
□
chì mi thu a-rithist
I’ll see you later
□
chan eil iad seo air
am mìneachadh gus a-rithist these
aren’t explained until later 3. then
again, furthermore
a-staigh adv in, indoor(s), inside,
inward, within (at rest), inward
□
a
bheil thu a-staigh, Ealasaid? are you
in, Elizabeth?
□
cha robh duine a-
staigh there was nobody in / within /
inside
□
in some areas may mean ‘at
home’ (e.g. on holiday)
□
a bheil e
fhèin a-staigh (an-dràsta)? is he home
(at the moment)?
□
air an taobh a-
staigh inside
□
a-staigh san tìr inland
□
as fhaide a-staigh inner, innermost,
inmost
□
an leth a-staigh the interior
□
san leth a-staigh internal(ly)
□
na h-
Eileanan a-staigh the Inner Hebrides
□
bi a-staigh air be in with (i.e. be on
good terms with), like
□
cùm a-staigh
air keep in with (i.e. stay on good
terms with)
□
faigh a-staigh air get in
with (get on good terms with)
□
bha e
air a bhith a’ cumail cuideachd ris
a chum ’s gum faigheadh e a-staigh air
a phiuthair he had been keeping his
company (in order) to get in with his
sister
□
note that many people use a-
staigh instead of a-steach (below)
even when motion is implied
□
thig a-
staigh! come in!
□
for more detail
about this and similar advs of rest /
motion see App. 4 Sect 10.0
a-steach adv in, inwards, inside
(motion inwards)
□
chaidh e a-steach
he went in
□
(a-) steach leat! inside
with you!, in you go!
□
for more detail
about this and similar advs of rest /
motion see App. 4 Sect 10.0
a-steach do prep into
□
chaidh iad a-
steach don uaimh they went into /
entered the cave
a-steach air prep (in) through (a door /
window)
□
chuir i a ceann a-steach air
doras seòmar Iain she put her head in
through the door of John’s room
For other idioms using a-steach see
bris, bris(t)eadh, brùth, cuir, cur, dol,
gabh, gabhail, leig, rach, sàth, spàrr,
teachd, thig, thoir, tighinn, toirt
aba, -achan nm abbot
abachadh, -aidh nm & vn of abaich ripen-
ing etc.
□
gealach an abachaidh harvest
moon (also referred to as gealach bhuidhe
an abachaidh)
abaich, -e a mature, ripe
□
làn abaich
mellow
□
mheas e gun robh an t-àm
abaich airson gluasad he judged that the
time was ripe for moving
abaich, -achadh v ripen, mature, mellow
abaichead, -eid nm maturity, ripeness
□
tha
e a’ sgrìobhadh le earbsa agus abaichead
ùr he is writing with a new confidence and
a new maturity
abaid, -e, -ean nf abbey
5 abaid
abair, ràdh irreg v say, speak, tell, predi-
cate, tell, utter
□
in addition to having an
irregular Verbal Noun, this verb is irreg-
ular in the Active and Passive Voices of
the Past Tense, Future Independent, the
Relative Future and the Imperfect /
Conditional Tense Independent
ACTIVE VOICE:
Past tense
1. Indep. thuirt mi I said thuirt
thu you said etc.(the stressed
forms being thubhairt and tub-
hairt respectively, though some
people use these latter forms
consistently in writing, whether
stressed or not)
2. Dep.: an tuirt thu? did you say?
cha tuirt e he didn’t say nach tuirt
thu? didn’t you say? etc.
Future tense
1. Indep.: their mi I shall say their
thu you shall say etc.
2. Dep. (reg.): an abair thu? shall you
say? chan abair mi I shan’t say
nach abair iad? won’t they say? etc.
Relative Future
□
note that there is no
special rel fut tense: ma their e if he
says (will say)
Imperfect / conditional tense
1. Indep.: theirinn I would say
theireadh tu you would say etc.
2. Dep. (reg.): an abairinn? would
I say? an abaireadh tu? would
you say? etc.
Note that abairinn & abaireadh are
usually shortened to abrainn &
abradh respectively
PASSIVE VOICE:
Past tense
1. Indep.: thuirteadh (it) was said etc.
2. Dep.: an tuirteadh? was (it) said?
cha tuirteadh (it) was not said nach
tuirteadh? was (it) not said?
Future tense
1. Indep. theirear (it) will be said etc.
Note that, as with all verbs, there is
no special Relative Future in the
Passive Voice
2. Dep. (reg.): an abrar? will (it) be
said? nach abrar? won’t (it)
be said? etc.
Imperfect / conditional tense
1. Indep.: theirteadh (it) would be
said
2. Dep. (reg.) an abairteadh? would
(it) be said? nach abairteadh?
wouldn’t (it) be said?
Imperative mood (reg.)
abaiream (usually shortened to abram)
let me say abair say sing abaireadh e,
i, iad (usually shortened to abradh e
etc.) let him / it masc, her / it fem, them
say abramaid let us say abraibh say
pl & polite
Verbal noun
ràdh is commonly preceded by ag
rather than a’ when in use as a present
participle
□
dè tha thu ag ràdh? what
are you saying? – though the other
form is also very common
□
dè tha i a’
ràdh? what is she saying?
□
tha sin
duilich a ràdh that is difficult to say
Basic Examples: thuirt e gun robh e a’
dol dhachaigh he said that he was
going home
□
an tuirt e gun robh e dei-
seil? cha tubhairt
□
did he say he was
ready? no
□
nach tuirt e càil? thub-
hairt didn’t he say anything? yes
□
their cuid gu bheil thu nad ghealtaire
some (will) say that you are a coward
□
an abair iad sin? will they say that?
□
nach abair iad gu bheil sinn gan
trèigsinn? won’t they say that we are
deserting them?
□
ma their iad sin,
bithidh iad ceàrr if they say that,
they’ll be wrong
□
cha robh fhiosam
dè theirinn I didn’t know what to say
(lit. what I might say – note that the
infinitive cannot be used in this situa-
tion in gaelic)
□
theireadh e gun robh
mi ceart he would say that I was right
□
mun abradh tu “slige chreachainn”
before you could say “Jack Robinson”
(lit. “scallop shell”)
□
abradh sibhse
you might say (so)
□
thuirteadh gun
robh e breugach it was said that he was
deceitful
□
nach tuirteadh gun robh e
na bhrathadair? wasn’t it said that he
was a traitor?
□
theirear gun robh e na
thìr-ghràdhaiche it will be said that he
was a patriot
□
nach abrar gu bheil
sinn a’ feuchainn ri am mealladh?
won’t it be said that we are trying to
deceive them? nach abairteadh gun
robh iad nam mèirlich? wouldn’t it be
said that they were thieves?
□
abram
an toiseach gu bheil e … let me first
say that it is …
□
abradh e na thogras
e, ach … let him say what he likes, but…
□
bhathas ag ràdh gun robh Iain…
it was said that John was… (see
bhathas)
□
chan eil thu fhèin ag
ràdh / bheil thu ‘g ràdh (rium)? you
don’t say?
□
dè a b’fhasa dhi na facal
a ràdh ris an ath thuras a thachradh i
ris? what would be easier (for her)
than to have a word with (lit. say
a word to) him the next time she met
(i.e. would meet) him?
□
shaoileadh
duine bho na chaidh a ràdh gu ruige
seo gu … one would think from what
has been said so far that …
□
dh’fhao-
dadh tu sin a ràdh / is tu dh’fhaodadh
a ràdh you might say that / you could
afford to say that
□
cha bhiodh agam ri
ràdh tuilleadh nach fhaca mi e I would
no longer have to say that I had not
seen it
□
… air neo bithidh rudeigin
abaid 6
agam ri ràdh riut! … or I will have
something to say to you!
□
chan eil
sin ri ràdh gu / nach… that is not to
say that … / that … not …
□
chan eil
cuimhne agam a-nis dè thuirt Màiri a
thachair I don’t remember now what
Mary said happened.
Further idioms: abair ri call, give a
name to
□
bha duine ann ris an abradh
iad ‘an Caiptean’ there was a man
there whom they called ‘the Captain’
□
theirear ‘Donaidh’ ris he is called
‘Donny’
□
… baile bòidheach ris an
abrar … … a beautiful town which is
called …
□
is e Calum Dubh a
theirteadh ris he was called Calum
Dubh (dark-haired Malcolm)
□
’s e mo
nàire gum feum mi mèirleach a ràdh ri
mo bhràthair it’s my shame that I must
call my brother a thief
□
’s ann a tha
againn rud ris am faodamaid seòrsa
de staidhre a ràdh we have what we
might call a sort of stairway
The imperative mood is unusual in that
it has meanings other than the basic
one of ‘say’, often having the force of
the English exclamation ‘what …!’
□
abair sluagh! what a crowd!
□
abair
duine! what a man!
□
abair guth binn!
what a sweet voice!
□
abair e! indeed!
yes indeed! you don’t say!
□
rather
similar to the English ‘speak about
…!’
□
abair cèilidh math! speak about
a good ceilidh!
□
Note also: abair
thusa gun do rinn e air an taigh an
uairsin you may be sure / certain that
he made for the house then
□
abair gun
robh e air a dhòigh! wasn’t he pleased!
□
nan robh daoine air innse dhomh o
chionn, abair deich bliadhna, gum
bithinn … if people had told me, say
ten years ago, that I would be…
□
a
bheil e cho math sin? abair fhèin e! is
it as good as that? it certainly is!
□
note also: abair rud! that’s nothing!
(contemptuously)
àbhachdach, -aiche a comic, humorous
□
fear àbhachdach humorist
□
sgrìobhadh
àbhachdach humorous writing
àbhachdas, -ais nm
□
see àbhachd
abhag, -aige, -an nf terrier
abhainn, aibhne, aibhnichean nf river
□
air bruaich na h-aibhne on the bank of the
river
□
amar na h-aibhne the bed / chan-
nel of the river
□
srath aibhne river basin
□
tha an abhainn a’ ruith ann an amar
domhain
□
the river runs in a deep chan-
nel
□
ri taobh na h-aibhne beside the river
□
ri taobh nan aibhnichean by the rivers
àbhaist, -e nf custom, habit, practice,
usage, use
□
bidh dà cheud uair a thìde a
bharrachd air an àbhaist de phrògraman
Gàidhlig ann there will be two hundred
hours more than [the] usual of Gaelic pro-
grammes
□
às an àbhaist out of the ordi-
nary
□
is àbhaist dhomh I am accustomed /
it is usual for me / it is my custom / habit
etc.
□
chan àbhaist dhuinn a bhith cho
fadalach anns a’ mhadainn it’s not usual
for us to be so late in the morning
□
mar a
b’àbhaist dha as he was accustomed / as
was his custom / as was customary for
him / as usual (for him)
□
is àbhaist dhomh
seo a dhèanamh I am used / accustomed to
doing this
□
b’àbhaist do Phàdraig a’
bhùth fhosgladh aig seachd uairean it was
Patrick’s habit to open the shop at seven
o’clock
□
an àbhaist dhut a bhith snàmh
an seo? ’s àbhaist / chan àbhaist do you
usually swim here? yes / no
□
am b’àb-
haist dhut a bhith snàmh an sin? b’àbhaist /
cha b’àbhaist did you usually swim there?
yes / no
□
chuala mi gum b’àbhaist dha
sin a dhèanamh I heard that he used to do
that
□
tha sinn uile san àbhaist / mar as
àbhaist we are in our normal state of
health / we’re the same as usual
□
bha e na
bu ghile na b’àbhaist dha he was whiter
than usual / he was unusually white
àbhaisteach, -iche a customary, ordinary,
prevailing, usual
□
bha iad a’leantainn an
cleachdaidh àbhaistich they were follow-
ing their customary practice
□
bha an
sgraing àbhaisteach air aodann the usual
scowl was on his face
□
dh’fhalbh e aig an
àm àbhaisteach he left at the usual time
abharsaic, -e, -ean nf haversack
□
bha
abharsaic aige air a dhruim he had a
haversack on his back
abhcaid, -e, -ean nf humorism, joke.
joking, jest, witticism, pleasantry
□
a’
gàireachdaich air abhcaid air choreigin
laughing at some joke or other
7 abhcaid
abairt, -e, -ean nf comment, phrase
abairt-gun-smuain nf platitude
àbhacas, -ais nm
□
see àbhachd
àbhachd nf humour
□
sin an seòrsa
àbhachd a thuigeas iad that’s the kind of
humour that they understand
□
duine gun
àbhachd a humourless individual
abhcaideach, -iche a humorous, jocular
abhlan, -ain, -an nm wafer
abhras, -ais nm worsted, yarn (wool)
abhsadh, -aidh nm lull, let-up, cessation
□
uair sam bith a bhiodh abhsadh sa
chogadh… any time there was a lull in the
fighting …
□
shil an sneachda gun abh-
sadh the snow fell without let-up
□
also
allsadh
ablach, -aich, -aichean nm 1. carrion,
mangled carcase 2. wreck, poor thing
(person / animal / article)
□
cheannaich e
ablach càir… he bought a wreck of a car
abstol, -oil, -oil nm apostle
□
litrichean nan
abstol the letters of the apostles
aca prep pron of aig (q.v.) at them
Acadamaidh, -ean nf Academy (school)
Acadamh, -aimh nf Academy (learned
body)
acaid, -e, -ean nf pain, hurt, stitch
acain, -e nf moaning, sighing
□
an dèidh
mòran osnaich is acain after much sighing
and moaning
acainn, -e nf 1. apparatus, equipment, tackle,
harness, machinery, plant (⫽ machinery)
□
acainn beul mèinne mine head gear
□
each ann an acainn a horse in harness
2. salve, ointment
□
chuir i acainn air an
lot she applied ointment to the wound
acainn-glanaidh nf cleaning plant a.-
suathaidh nf embrocation
acainneach, -iche a 1. enegetic, lively
2. fully equipped
acair, acrach, acraichean nf anchor
□
air
acair anchored, at anchor
□
bha soitheach
mhòr air acair anns a’ bhàgh there was a
large vessel anchored in the bay
□
tilg
acair moor v
□
leag acair drop anchor
□
leag iad acair an sin they anchored there
□
bha iad air acair a leagail they had
dropped anchor
acaire, -ean nf acre
acarsaid, -e, -ean nf anchorage, harbour,
haven
□
aig acarsaid anchored
acfhainn, -e nf same as acainn
□
acfhainn
beul mèinne minehead gear
acfhainneach a
□
same as acainneach
2. rather (in phr. ‘rather than’), other
than, unless, yet
□
ach (a-mhàin)…
except, with the exception of …
□
bha e air a h-uile spaid a
bhriseadh ach an tè aige fhèin he
had broken every spade but /
except his own one
□
bha e an sin
sona ach a bhith na shuidhe ri
blàths na grèine there he was,
happy just to be sitting in the
warmth of the sun
□
a bheil e
ach na amaideas a bhith a’
smaoineachadh air a leithid? is it
just foolishness to be thinking
about such a thing?
□
note also:
bha iad beò ach beag air na
bheireadh iad às an talamh they
barely existed on what they could
get from the earth
3. after a neg verb it may have one of
the following meanings: except,
with the exception of, beyond, just,
simply, mere(ly), only
□
chan eil e
ach a’ tòiseachadh it’s just begin-
ning
□
chan eil agadsa a dhèanamh
ach an luamhan seo a tharraing
you have just to pull this lever / all
you have to do is pull this lever (lit.
there is not at you to do but etc.)
□
cha robh an còrr air ach sin that’s
all there was to it (lit. there was not
the rest on it but that)
□
chan eil
agaibh ach coimhead air you have
only to look at it
□
ach an-diugh
chan eil ann ach gann fichead but
nowadays there are a mere twenty
□
“Cha do rinn e ach bàsachadh,”
thuirt esan “It (e.g. an animal) just
died,” he said (lit. it didn’t do [any-
thing] but die i.e. for no apparent
reason)
□
cha d’fhuair e ach bea-
gan sgoile he received only a little
schooling (lit. a little of school)
□
thuirt iad nach bitheadh de
bhathais ach aige fhèin sin fhaigh-
neachd they said that none but he
would have the cheek to ask that
□
mura robh esan ach dà bhliadhna
air fhichead gu dè nach dèanadh
e? if he were only twenty-two what
wouldn’t he do?
□
chan urrainn
dhut cànan a bhruidhinn gu math
ach nuair a chluinneas tu gu math
e you can only speak a language
well when you hear it well
□
but
note also: cha robh an t-àite ach
abhcaideach 8
ach conj
1. but
□
bha e blàth an-dè ach tha e
fuar an-diugh it was warm yester-
day, but it is cold today
□
tha Sìne
mòr ach tha Màiri beag Jean is
big, but Mary’s small
gann space was scarce (lit. space
was not but scarce – an emphatic
way of expressing this. Cf. the use
of ‘just’/ ‘simply’in English: it was
just beautiful, it’s simply gorgeous)
4. ach accompanied by gun means
‘with only’
□
gun ach sgoil thruagh
na òige with only a poor education
in his youth (lit. without but a poor
schooling etc.)
□
gun ùidh aige ach
na ghnothaichean fhèin with inter-
est only in his own affairs
Other idioms: (a) before a vn it may also
mean ‘if’ / ‘provided that’
□
bha e air
òrd a chleachdadh ach òrd a bhith aige
he would have used a hammer if he
had had a hammer / provided he had
had a hammer (lit. but a hammer to be
at him) (b) before an interr part it may
mean ‘so that’ / ‘so that … not’, but
note that, in this meaning, ach is
a reduced form of feuch (q.v.)
□
note
also that dh’fheuch is used in some
places
□
rinn e mòran ach am biodh /
dh’fheuch am biodh airgead air a
chruinneachadh airson nam bochd he
did much so that money might be col-
lected for the poor
□
phàigh iad prìs
mhòr ach am biodh sìth agus saorsa
againne they paid a great price so that
we might have peace and freedom
□
…
ach an tuig iad dè tha aca ri dhèanamh
… so that they (will) understand what
they have to do (c) note also:…ged
nach biodh ann ach nach robh dòigh
eile air a dhearbhadh … if only
because there was no other way of
proving it (lit. though there would not
be in it but that there wasn’t etc.)
□
smaoinich e ach* am bu chòir dha
cogadh an aghaidh na breith seo he
wondered if he should fight against
this verdict
□
feumaidh sinn ar n-
inntinn a dhèanamh suas ach* dè na
seòrsaichean sgoiltean a tha (a) dhìth
oirnn we must make up our minds
what kinds of schools we need
□
’s e
a th’againn an seo ach* sgeulachdan
mun luchd-àiteachaidh ann an
Canada what we have here are stories
about the settlers in Canada
□
in the
three examples marked* the ach could
easily be omitted, but with a loss of
emphasis.
achadh, -aidh, -aidhean nm field, meadow
□
bha iad ag obair anns an achadh they
were working in the field
□
bha iad ag
obair anns na h-achaidhean they were
working in the fields
achadh-buana nm harvest field a.-feòir nm
seeding park a.-dearbhaidh nm experi-
mental field
achanaich, -e, -ean nf invocation, entreaty,
supplication
achd, -an / -annan nm/f act (legal)
□
achd
ghairmeil declaration
□
Achd Ghairmeil
Obar Bhrothaig the Declaration of Arbroath
□
Achd Pàrlamaid Act of Parliament
achlais, -e, -ean nf armpit (also lag na
h-achlaise)
□
translates simply as ‘arm(s)’
in phrases of the following sort: chaidh
iad a-mach (ann) an achlais a chèile they
exited with their arms round each other
□
chaidh e seachad le gunna fo a achlais
he passed with a gun under his arm
□
chaidh e a chadal na h-achlais he went to
sleep in her arms
□
chàirich e an leabhar
na achlais he tucked the book under
his arm
achlasan, -ain nm armful
achmhasan, ain nm censure, scolding,
invective, rebuke, reprimand
□
thoir
achmhasan (do) rebuke v
□
le achmhasan
mì-chothromach with unjust rebuke
achrannach, -aiche a intricate, entangled,
complicated
□
bha e achrannach doirbh a
dhealbh it was complicatedly difficult to
devise
□
uidheam achrannach an intricate
mechanism
acrach, -aiche a hungry
acrachadh, -aidh nm & vn of acraich
anchoring etc.
acraich, -achadh v anchor
acras, -ais nm hunger
□
tha an t-acras orm
I’m hungry
□
stailc acrais hunger strike
□
co air a bheil acras? tha ormsa who’s hun-
gry? I am
□
bàsaichidh sinn leis an acras
we shall die of hunger (lit. with the etc.)
acrasach, -aiche a
□
same as acrach
acriolaic / acriolaig nf acrylic snàidhleach
acriolaig acrylic fibre
actair, -ean nm
□
see actar
actar, -air, -an nm actor
□
prìomh actar
(dramatic) star
’ad abbr form of iad
ad, aide, adan / adaichean nf hat
□
ad
ghlas a grey hat
□
seo bùth nan adan this
is the hat shop
□
bior aide hatpin
adag, -aige, -an nf 1. haddock
□
adagan
sgaoilte f illeted haddocks 2. stook, shock
(of corn)
□
is cho math sguab ri adaig
9 adag
dheth (lit. it is as well a sheaf as a stook of
it) a little goes a long way (of people /
things)
adagachadh, -aidh nm & vn of adagaich
stooking
adagaich, -achadh v stook
adenin nm adenine
adha, adhaichean / àinean nm liver adha
’s àra eòin giblets
adhaltraiche, -ean nm adulterer
adhaltranaiche, -ean nm adulterer
adhaltranas, -ais nm adultery, adulteration
(sexual) am boireannach a ghlacadh ann
an adhaltranas the woman (who had been)
caught in adultery
adhar, -air nm air, heaven, sky
□
tha an t-
adhar a’ coimhead dorcha the sky looks
dark
□
adhar culmach hazy, heavy sky
adhar-fhànas nm aerospace a.-luingeas
nm airline Adhar-Luingeas Bhreatainn
British Airways a.-striop nm airstrip
adharc, -airce, -an nf horn
□
Rubha na h-
Adhairc Cape Horn
□
chuir e Rubha na h-
Adhairc fodha iomadh uair he weathered
Cape Horn many a time (see cuir fodha)
□
spàin adhairc(e) a horn spoon
adharc-fhùdair nf powder-horn a.-
shaidhbhreis nf cornucopia
adharcach a horned, horny
adharcan-luachrach nm lapwing, peewit
adharspeurach a aerospace
adhart, -airt nm progress, advance
□
now
used only in the foll. idioms
adhart, air adhart adv forward(s),
onward(s), on(ward), forth
□
cuir air
adhart further, promote, propel
□
cur air
adhart promotion (incl. comm. promo-
tion)
□
rach air adhart go ahead, advance,
progress
□
bha iad a’ dol air adhart they
were advancing / going ahead
□
cha robh
cùisean a’ dol air adhart mar bu mhiann
leo matters were not progressing as they
wished
□
thoir air adhart advance, bring
on, induce
□
… airson leughadh a thoirt
air adhart (in order) to bring on / advance
reading
□
dol air adhart 1. advance noun
2. goings-on, carry-on
□
dh’innis mi dhut
gun toireadh an dol air adhart seo agad
dunaidh oirnn uile I told you that this
carry-on of yours would bring misfortune
to us all
□
agus mar sin air adhart and so
on, etc.
adhart, -airt, -an nm 1. pillow 2. linen –
seldom seen now in either meaning, but
see ceann-adhart
adhartach, -aiche a advanced, progressive,
pushing, pushy
adhartachadh, -aidh nm & vn of adhar-
taich promoting (pushing forward) etc.,
promotion (of a product, idea etc.)
adhartachaidh a promotional
□
filmichean
adhartachaidh promotional films
adhartaich, -achadh v advance, promote
□
poileasaidhean airson a’ Ghàidhlig
adhartachadh policies for the promotion
of Gaelic
adhartas, -ais, -an nm headway, progress,
advance
□
chan eil fhios nach tig an t-
adhartas seo ri tìde perhaps this progress /
advance etc. will come in (course of)
time
□
’s e f ìor adhartas mòr a bhitheas
ann do chuid ma thèid aca air sin a
dhèanamh it will be a major progress for
some if they manage to do that
adagachadh 10
adhbhar, -air, -air / -an nm 1. cause,
reason, motive, occasion, object, pur-
pose, topic, source (i.e. cause)
□
adhb-
har tàlaidh a / the (cause of) attraction
□
adhbhar bith raison d’être
□
bidh
an t-adhbhar bith againn air a
choileanadh our raison d’être will be
fulfilled
□
gun adhbhar causeless,
without reason
□
… agus chan ann gun
adhbhar and not without cause
□
dìleas dhan adhbhar faithful to the
cause i.e. God’s work
Further examples: bha iad gnìomhach
ann a bhith a’ cuideachadh an adhb-
hair aige they were active in helping
his cause
□
nuair a chuala sinn
adhbhar an aigheir … when we heard
the reason for / the cause of the merri-
ment …
□
a bheil adhbhar agad a
chreidsinn gu bheil cùisean mar sin?
do you have reason to believe that that
is how matters stand?
□
tha adhbhair
ann a bhith toilichte there are reasons
to be pleased
□
na h-adhbhair a tha
co-cheangailte riutha their associated
purposes
adhbhar is used with the prep air in
two ways: 1.…agus sin air dà adhb-
har … and (that) for two reasons
□
air
bheagan adhbhair for little reason
□
air an adhbhar sin for that reason,
hence, therefore 2. chan eil adhbhar
sam bith air sin there is no reason for
that
□
but note that do is also used –
see below
adhbhar is often used with the
assertive verb
□
’s e f ìor adhbhar
toileachais is moit a th’ann gu bheil an
togalach air a chrìochnachadh it is a
real source of pleasure and pride that
the building is completed
□
rinn seo
soilleir do Chalum dè a b’adhbhar air
na thachair this made clear to Calum
the reason for what happened
□
their
mi gun sòradh gur e Adhbhar an
Tighearna anns a bheil mi an sàs I will
state without hesitation that it is the
Lord’s Work in which I am engaged
□
is adhbhar do causes, is the cause of /
the reason for
□
dè as adhbhar don
àrdachadh mhòr? what is the reason
for / the cause of the great increase?
But tha and the prep prons of ann are
also commonly used
□
… is tha e na
adhbhar toileachais gun do thill e gu
sàbhailte … and it is a cause of satis-
faction that he has returned safely
□
chan eil e na adhbhar iongnaidh gum
bi mòran … it’s no (reason for) wonder
that many will be / are…
□
dè tha na
adhbhar air am feur a bhith cho gorm?
why is the grass so green?
Other examples: dè na h-adhbhair a
bheireadh tu seachad airson sin a
dhèanamh? what reasons would you
give for doing that?
□
na h-adhbhair a
tha air an cùl their underlying pur-
poses
□
dè na prìomh adhbhair a bha
air chùl nam fuadaichean? what were
the principal reasons behind the clear-
ances?
□
: ’s e an t-adhbhar air a sin gu
bheil e … the reason for that is that he
is …
□
tha iad air deagh adhbhar a
thoirt seachad don t-sluagh a bhith
teagmhach they have given the
people good reason to be suspicious
□
tha a h-uile adhbhar airson a
nochdadh anns gach baile there’s
every reason for showing it in every
town 2. material
□
adhbhar còta the
material for a coat
□
adhbhar bhròg
the material for shoes
□
but note also:
adhbhar coillteir / sagairt / ministeir
etc. ‘the makings of’ a forester / a
priest / a minister etc. – i.e. an appren-
tice / student forester etc.
adhbharaich, -achadh v cause, occasion
□
is iad a’ ghrian agus a’ ghealach a tha ag
adhbharachadh nan seòl-mara it is the sun
and the moon which cause the tides (lit. it
is they the sun and etc.)
□
dh’adhbharaich
seo mì-chòrdadh eadar e fhèin agus na
tidsearan eile this caused discord between
himself and the other teachers
□
’s e tru-
ailleadh na h-àrainneachd a tha ag adhb-
harachadh uallach it’s the pollution of the
environment that’s causing worry
adhbrann, -ainn, -ean nm ankle
□
shnìomh
e (a) adhbrann he sprained his ankle
□
chaidh mi thar an adhbrainn / chuir mi car
nam adhbrann I twisted my ankle
adhlacadh, -aidh nm & vn of adhlaic
burying etc., burial, funeral, inhumation,
interment
adhlaic, -acadh v bury, inter
adhnadh, -aidh nm ignition (of a car etc.)
adhradh, -aidh nm worship
□
adhradh
maidne morning worship, matins
□
dèan
adhradh (do) worship v
□
rinn iad
adhradh don leanabh they worshipped the
child
□
note that adhradh may be used as
a vn though the original root is no longer
used in Scottish Gaelic
□
tha daoine ag
adhradh do Chrìost nan dòigh fhèin peo-
ple worship Christ in their own way
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a
chionn ’s nach b’urrainn dhaibh adhradh
ann since they could not worship there
adhradh-teaghlaich nm family worship
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bhitheadh adhradh-teaghlaich air a
chuairteachadh moch is anmoch family
worship was (used to be) conducted morn-
ing and evening (lit. early and late)
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see
a’ gabhail an leabhair under gabh
aer-ghath nm aerial
aerial, -an nm aerial
aerosol, -oil, -an nm aerosol
aesteataiceach, -iche a aesthetic
Afganach, -aich, -aich nm Afghan
Afganach a Afghan
Afracanach, -aich, -aich nm African
Afracanach a African
ag a form of aig used before verbal nouns
beginning with a vowel
□
bha iad ag
èigheach gu h-àrd they were shouting
loudly
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but note that ag is also frequently
used before ràdh saying
□
bha e ag ràdh
gun robh e sgìth he was saying that he was
tired
agad / agadsa prep pron / emph prep pron
of aig (q.v.) at you sing
agaibh / agaibhse prep pron / emph prep
pron of aig (q.v.) at you pl polite
agaid, -e, -ean nf agate
11 agaid
adhbharach a causal
adhbharachadh, -aidh nm & vn of
adhbharaich causing etc.