marbh

marbh

Irish

Etymology

From Old Irish marb, from Proto-Celtic *marwos (“dead”) (compare Welsh marw), from Proto-Indo-European *mr̥wós (compare *mr̥tós), ultimately from the root *mer- (“to die”).

Pronunciation

• (Munster) IPA^(key): /ˈmˠɑɾˠəvˠ/
• (Connacht) IPA^(key): /ˈmˠarˠuː/
• (Ulster) IPA^(key): /ˈmˠarˠu/

Adjective

marbh (genitive singular masculine mairbh, genitive singular feminine mairbhe, plural marbha, comparative mairbhe)

1. dead

   Tá m’athair féin marbh.

   My own father is dead.

2. defunct

Declension

Declension of marbh

	Singular		Plural (m/f)
Positive	Masculine	Feminine	(strong noun)	(weak noun)
Nominative	marbh	mharbh	marbha; mharbha²
Vocative	mhairbh		marbha
Genitive		mairbhe	marbha	marbh
Dative	marbh; mharbh¹	mharbh; mhairbh (archaic)	marbha; mharbha²
Comparative	níos mairbhe
Superlative	is mairbhe

¹ When the preceding noun is lenited and governed by the definite article.
² When the preceding noun ends in a slender consonant.

Derived terms

• chomh marbh le hart (“stone dead”)
• maraigh (“kill, slay; murder”)
• marbhánta
• marbhlann (“morgue; mortuary”)
• marbhna
• marfach (“deadly, fatal, lethal; cruel”)
• marfóir (“killer”)
• marú (“killing; slaughter”)

 

Related terms

• bás
• éag

Noun

marbh m (genitive singular mairbh, nominative plural mairbh)

1. corpse, dead person

   Synonym: marbhán

2. (in the plural) the dead

Declension

Declension of marbh

First declension

Bare forms: Case Singular Plural Nominative marbh mairbh Vocative a mhairbh a mharbha Genitive mairbh marbh Dative marbh mairbh

Forms with the definite article: Case Singular Plural Nominative an marbh na mairbh Genitive an mhairbh na marbh Dative leis an marbh don mharbh leis na mairbh

Mutation

Irish mutation
Radical	Lenition	Eclipsis
marbh	mharbh	not applicable
Note: Some of these forms may be hypothetical. Not every possible mutated form of every word actually occurs.

Further reading

• Ó Dónaill, Niall (1977), “marbh”, in Foclóir Gaeilge–Béarla, Dublin: An Gúm, →ISBN
• G. Toner, M. Ní Mhaonaigh, S. Arbuthnot, D. Wodtko, M.-L. Theuerkauf, editors (2019), “marb”, in eDIL: Electronic Dictionary of the Irish Language
• Sjoestedt, M. L. (1931) Phonétique d’un parler irlandais de Kerry (in French), Paris: Librairie Ernest Leroux, page 57

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Scottish Gaelic

Etymology

From Old Irish marb, from Proto-Celtic *marwos (“dead”) (compare Welsh marw), from Proto-Indo-European *mr̥wós (compare *mr̥tós), ultimately from the root *mer- (“to die”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /maɾav/

Adjective

marbh

1. dead
2. defunct

Synonyms

• fon fhòid
• nach maireann

Verb

marbh (past mharbh, future marbhaidh, verbal noun marbhadh, past participle marbhte)

1. kill, murder

Noun

marbh m (genitive singular mairbh, plural mairbh)

1. dead, stillness, quiet
2. dead person, corpse

Mutation

Scottish Gaelic mutation
Radical	Lenition
marbh	mharbh
Note: Some of these forms may be hypothetical. Not every possible mutated form of every word actually occurs.

See also

• bàs

References

• Edward Dwelly (1911), “marbh”, in Faclair Gàidhlig gu Beurla le Dealbhan [The Illustrated Gaelic–English Dictionary], 10th edition, Edinburgh: Birlinn Limited, →ISBN
• G. Toner, M. Ní Mhaonaigh, S. Arbuthnot, D. Wodtko, M.-L. Theuerkauf, editors (2019), “marb”, in eDIL: Electronic Dictionary of the Irish Language