bréc

bréc

See also: brec and brèç

Old Irish

Etymology

From Proto-Celtic *brenkā, from Proto-Indo-European *bʰrenḱ- (“to deviate, corrupt”); cognate with Sanskrit भ्रंश (bhraṃśa, “deviation, decay”).[1]

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /bʲrʲeːɡ/

Noun

bréc f (genitive bréice, nominative plural bréca)

1. lie, falsehood
2. deception
3. exaggeration

Inflection

Feminine ā-stem
	Singular	Dual	Plural
Nominative	brécL	bréicL	brécaH
Vocative	brécL	bréicL	brécaH
Accusative	bréicN	bréicL	brécaH
Genitive	bréiceH	brécL	brécN
Dative	bréicL	brécaib	brécaib
Initial mutations of a following adjective: H = triggers aspiration L = triggers lenition N = triggers nasalization

Derived terms

• brécach
• brécaid
• brécairecht

 

Descendants

• Irish: bréag
• Manx: breag
• Scottish Gaelic: breug
• ⇒ Middle Irish: brécaire

Mutation

Old Irish mutation
Radical	Lenition	Nasalization
bréc	bréc pronounced with /v(ʲ)-/	mbréc
Note: Some of these forms may be hypothetical. Not every possible mutated form of every word actually occurs.

References

1. Thurneysen, Rudolf (1940, reprinted 2003), D. A. Binchy and Osborn Bergin, transl., A Grammar of Old Irish, Dublin Institute for Advanced Studies, →ISBN, § 209, page 127

Further reading

• G. Toner, M. Ní Mhaonaigh, S. Arbuthnot, D. Wodtko, M.-L. Theuerkauf, editors (2019), “bréc”, in eDIL: Electronic Dictionary of the Irish Language