aistear

aistear

Irish

Alternative forms

• aistir, astar

Etymology

From Old Irish astar (“journey, travel”).

Pronunciation

• (Aran) IPA^(key): /ˈæʃtʲəɾʲ/ (corresponding to the form aistir)
• (Ulster) IPA^(key): /ˈasˠt̪ˠəɾˠ/[1] (corresponding to the form astar)

Noun

aistear m or f (genitive singular aistir or aistire, nominative plural aistir or aistreacha)

1. journey
   • 1899, Franz Nikolaus Finck, Die araner mundart, Marburg: Elwert’sche Verlagsbuchhandlung, vol. II, p. 31:

     sl̄ān lȧt, gə n-aiŕī t-æšcŕ̥ lȧt!

     Slán leat, go n-éirí t’aistir leat! (conventional orthography)

     Goodbye, may your journey be successful!

   • 1899, Franz Nikolaus Finck, Die araner mundart, Marburg: Elwert’sche Verlagsbuchhandlung, vol. II, p. 31:

     ḱē n mĭȧs tā agət eŕ mə xomrādə æšcŕ̥ə [oder šūl]?

     Cén meas atá agat ar mo chomráda aistire [or siúil]? (conventional orthography)

     What do you think of my traveling companion?

2. roundabout way; inconvenience

Declension

As masculine noun

Declension of aistear

First declension

Bare forms: Case Singular Plural Nominative aistear aistir Vocative a aistir a aisteara Genitive aistir aistear Dative aistear aistir

Forms with the definite article: Case Singular Plural Nominative an t-aistear na haistir Genitive an aistir na n-aistear Dative leis an aistear don aistear leis na haistir

• Alternative plural: aistreacha

As feminine noun

Declension of aistear

Second declension

Bare forms Case Singular Plural Nominative aistear aistreacha Vocative a aistear a aistreacha Genitive aistire aistreacha Dative aistear aistir (archaic, dialectal) aistreacha

Forms with the definite article Case Singular Plural Nominative an aistear na haistreacha Genitive na haistire na n-aistreacha Dative leis an aistear leis an aistir (archaic, dialectal) don aistear don aistir (archaic, dialectal) leis na haistreacha

Derived terms

• aistreach (“journeying, roving; restless, unsettled; out of the way, inconvenient; transitive”, adjective)
• aistreán m (“out-of-the-way place; inconvenience”)
• neamh-aistear m (“want of occupation, inactivity, idleness; thoughtlessness; mischief”)

Mutation

Irish mutation
Radical	Eclipsis	with h-prothesis	with t-prothesis
aistear	n-aistear	haistear	t-aistear
Note: Some of these forms may be hypothetical. Not every possible mutated form of every word actually occurs.

References

1. Quiggin, E. C. (1906) A Dialect of Donegal, Cambridge University Press, page 49

Further reading

• Ó Dónaill, Niall (1977), “aistear”, in Foclóir Gaeilge–Béarla, Dublin: An Gúm, →ISBN
• G. Toner, M. Ní Mhaonaigh, S. Arbuthnot, D. Wodtko, M.-L. Theuerkauf, editors (2019), “astar”, in eDIL: Electronic Dictionary of the Irish Language
• Dinneen, Patrick S. (1904), “aistear”, in Foclóir Gaeḋilge agus Béarla, 1st edition, Dublin: Irish Texts Society, page 19
• Entries containing “aistear” in English-Irish Dictionary, An Gúm, 1959, by Tomás de Bhaldraithe.
• Entries containing “aistear” in New English-Irish Dictionary by Foras na Gaeilge.