meath

meath

See also: Meath and meath-

Irish

Etymology 1

From Old Irish methaid (“degenerates, declines, fails, is blighted; fails, comes short; blights, causes to decay; enfeebles, intimidates”).

Verb

meath (present analytic meathann, future analytic meathfaidh, verbal noun meath, past participle meata)

1. (intransitive) decline, decay, fail, deteriorate
2. (transitive) waste, fritter away

Conjugation

First Conjugation (A)

		singular			plural			relative	autonomous
		first	second	third	first	second	third
indicative	present	meathaim	meathann tú; meathair†	meathann sé, sí	meathaimid	meathann sibh	meathann siad; meathaid†	a mheathann; a mheathas / a meathann*; a meathas*	meatar
	past	mheath mé; mheathas	mheath tú; mheathais	mheath sé, sí	mheathamar; mheath muid	mheath sibh; mheathabhair	mheath siad; mheathadar	a mheath / ar mheath*	meathadh
	past habitual	mheathainn	mheatá	mheathadh sé, sí	mheathaimis; mheathadh muid	mheathadh sibh	mheathaidís; mheathadh siad	a mheathadh / ar mheathadh*	mheataí
	future	meathfaidh mé; meathfad	meathfaidh tú; meathfair†	meathfaidh sé, sí	meathfaimid; meathfaidh muid	meathfaidh sibh	meathfaidh siad; meathfaid†	a mheathfaidh; a mheathfas / a meathfaidh*; a meathfas*	meathfar
conditional		mheathfainn / meathfainn‡‡	mheathfá / meathfᇇ	mheathfadh sé, sí / meathfadh sé, s퇇	mheathfaimis; mheathfadh muid / meathfaimis‡‡; meathfadh muid‡‡	mheathfadh sibh / meathfadh sibh‡‡	mheathfaidís; mheathfadh siad / meathfaidís‡‡; meathfadh siad‡‡	a mheathfadh / ar mheathfadh*	mheathfaí / meathfa퇇
subjunctive	present	go meatha mé; go meathad†	go meatha tú; go meathair†	go meatha sé, sí	go meathaimid; go meatha muid	go meatha sibh	go meatha siad; go meathaid†	—	go meatar
	past	dá meathainn	dá meatá	dá meathadh sé, sí	dá meathaimis; dá meathadh muid	dá meathadh sibh	dá meathaidís; dá meathadh siad	—	dá meataí
imperative		meathaim	meath	meathadh sé, sí	meathaimis	meathaigí; meathaidh†	meathaidís	—	meatar
verbal noun		meath
past participle		meata

* Indirect relative
† Archaic or dialect form
‡‡ Dependent form used with particles that trigger eclipsis

Etymology 2

From Old Irish meth (“decay, blight, wasting, failure; (moral) feebleness, degeneracy; failure (to fulfil an obligation)”).

Noun

meath m (genitive singular meatha)

1. verbal noun of meath
2. decline, decay, decadence; failure

Declension

Declension of meath

Third declension

Bare forms (no plural of this noun) Case Singular Nominative meath Vocative a mheath Genitive meatha Dative meath

Forms with the definite article: Case Singular Nominative an meath Genitive an mheatha Dative leis an meath don mheath

Synonyms

• (decline, decay, failure): meathlú

Derived terms

• aghaidh mheata (“pale, thin, face”)
• croí meata (“faint, craven, heart”)
• gníomh meata (“cowardly, dastardly, deed”)
• meath na seanaoise (“senile decay”)
• meath uirbeach (“urban blight”)

 

Noun

meath m (genitive singular meath)

1. Alternative form of meá (“balance, scales; weight, measure; equivalent; equal, match; estimation, judgment; measure, expedient”)

Declension

Declension of meath

Fourth declension

Bare forms (no plural of this noun) Case Singular Nominative meath Vocative a mheath Genitive meath Dative meath

Forms with the definite article Case Singular Nominative an meath Genitive an mheath Dative leis an meath don mheath

Mutation

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

References

• "meath" in Foclóir Gaeilge-Béarla, An Gúm, 1977, by Niall Ó Dónaill.
• “methaid” in Dictionary of the Irish Language, Royal Irish Academy, 1913–76.
• “meth” in Dictionary of the Irish Language, Royal Irish Academy, 1913–76.