biseach

biseach

Irish

FWOTD – 26 August 2022

Etymology

From Middle Irish bisech (“increase, addition”), from Old Irish bisex (“bissextile”), from Latin bisextus (“intercalary day”).

Pronunciation

• (Munster) IPA^(key): /bʲɪˈʃax/
• (Connacht) IPA^(key): /ˈbʲɪʃəx/
• (Ulster) IPA^(key): /ˈbʲɪʃa(h)/

Noun

biseach m (genitive singular bisigh)

1. intercalary day or year
2. increase, addition
3. improvement (especially with regard to health), recovery, recuperation
   • 1894 March 1, Peadar Mac Fionnlaoigh, “An rí nach robh le fagháil bháis”, in Irisleabhar na Gaedhilge, volume 1:5, Dublin: Gaelic Union, pages 185–88:

     Bliadhain ’na dhiaidh sin, thug an rí fá deara an tromas a bhí ag éirghe innti, acht leig sise uirri gur bh’é an biadh maith a bhí sí ag fagháil a bhí ag cur an bhisigh sin uirri.

     A year after that, the king noticed how bulky she was growing, but she pretended that it was the good treatment she was getting that was putting that improvement on her.

   Tá biseach mór air. ― He’s much better [after an illness]. (literally, “A great recovery is on him.”)

Declension

Declension of biseach

First declension

Bare forms (no plural of this noun) Case Singular Nominative biseach Vocative a bhisigh Genitive bisigh Dative biseach

Forms with the definite article: Case Singular Nominative an biseach Genitive an bhisigh Dative leis an mbiseach don bhiseach

Derived terms

• biseach fada
• bisigh
• bliain bhisigh
• lá bisigh

 

Mutation

Irish mutation
Radical	Lenition	Eclipsis
biseach	bhiseach	mbiseach
Note: Some of these forms may be hypothetical. Not every possible mutated form of every word actually occurs.

Further reading

• Entries containing “biseach” in English-Irish Dictionary, An Gúm, 1959, by Tomás de Bhaldraithe.
• Entries containing “biseach” in New English-Irish Dictionary by Foras na Gaeilge.
• Finck, F. N. (1899), Die araner mundart, Marburg: Elwert’sche Verlagsbuchhandlung, vol. II, p. 44.
• Ó Dónaill, Niall (1977), “biseach”, in Foclóir Gaeilge–Béarla, Dublin: An Gúm, →ISBN
• G. Toner, M. Ní Mhaonaigh, S. Arbuthnot, D. Wodtko, M.-L. Theuerkauf, editors (2019), “bisech”, in eDIL: Electronic Dictionary of the Irish Language
• G. Toner, M. Ní Mhaonaigh, S. Arbuthnot, D. Wodtko, M.-L. Theuerkauf, editors (2019), “bisex”, in eDIL: Electronic Dictionary of the Irish Language
• Dinneen, Patrick S. (1904), “biseaċ”, in Foclóir Gaeḋilge agus Béarla, 1st edition, Dublin: Irish Texts Society, page 68