cathach
Irish
Etymology 1
From Old Irish cathach (“relic, reliquary”).
Noun
cathach m or f (genitive singular cathaigh or cathaí)
- battle reliquary
Declension
First declension
Bare forms (no plural of this noun)
| Forms with the definite article:
|
- Alternative declension
Second declension
Bare forms (no plural form of this noun)
| Forms with the definite article
|
Etymology 2
From Old Irish cathach (“bellicose, warlike; vehement, forceful”); synchronically, cath (“battle”) + -ach (adjectival suffix).
Adjective
cathach (genitive singular masculine cathaigh, genitive singular feminine cathaí, plural cathacha, comparative cathaí)
- battling, warlike
Declension
| Singular | Plural (m/f) | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Positive | Masculine | Feminine | (strong noun) | (weak noun) |
| Nominative | cathach | chathach | cathacha; chathacha² | |
| Vocative | chathaigh | cathacha | ||
| Genitive | cathaí | cathacha | cathach | |
| Dative | cathach; chathach¹ | chathach; chathaigh (archaic) | cathacha; chathacha² | |
| Comparative | níos cathaí | |||
| Superlative | is cathaí | |||
¹ When the preceding noun is lenited and governed by the definite article.
² When the preceding noun ends in a slender consonant.
Alternative forms
- cathaitheach
Adjective
cathach (genitive singular masculine cathaigh, genitive singular feminine cathaí, plural cathacha, comparative cathaí)
- Alternative form of cathaitheach (“tempting; regretful, sorrowful”)
Declension
| Singular | Plural (m/f) | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Positive | Masculine | Feminine | (strong noun) | (weak noun) |
| Nominative | cathach | chathach | cathacha; chathacha² | |
| Vocative | chathaigh | cathacha | ||
| Genitive | cathaí | cathacha | cathach | |
| Dative | cathach; chathach¹ | chathach; chathaigh (archaic) | cathacha; chathacha² | |
| Comparative | níos cathaí | |||
| Superlative | is cathaí | |||
¹ When the preceding noun is lenited and governed by the definite article.
² When the preceding noun ends in a slender consonant.
Mutation
| Irish mutation | ||
|---|---|---|
| Radical | Lenition | Eclipsis |
| cathach | chathach | gcathach |
| Note: Some of these forms may be hypothetical. Not every possible mutated form of every word actually occurs. | ||
Further reading
- "cathach" in Foclóir Gaeilge-Béarla, An Gúm, 1977, by Niall Ó Dónaill.
- “1 cathach (‘bellicose’)” in Dictionary of the Irish Language, Royal Irish Academy, 1913–76.
- “2 cathach (‘relic’)” in Dictionary of the Irish Language, Royal Irish Academy, 1913–76.
Old Irish
Etymology
From cath (“battle”) + -ach.
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): /ˈkaθax/
Adjective
cathach
- bellicose, warlike
- vehement, forceful
Inflection
| o/ā-stem | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Singular | Masculine | Feminine | Neuter |
| Nominative | cathach | cathach | cathach |
| Vocative | cathaig* cathach** | ||
| Accusative | cathach | cathaig | |
| Genitive | cathaig | cathaige | cathaig |
| Dative | cathuch | cathaig | cathuch |
| Plural | Masculine | Feminine/neuter | |
| Nominative | cathaig | cathacha | |
| Vocative | cathachu cathacha† | ||
| Accusative | cathachu cathacha† | ||
| Genitive | cathach | ||
| Dative | cathachaib | ||
| Notes | *modifying a noun whose vocative is different from its nominative **modifying a noun whose vocative is identical to its nominative | ||
Derived terms
- cathaige (“warlike spirit”)
Descendants
- Irish: cathach
Noun
cathach f (genitive cathaige, nominative plural cathacha)
- relic, reliquary (from the use of relics in battle to ensure victory)
Inflection
| Feminine ā-stem | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Singular | Dual | Plural | |
| Nominative | cathachL | cathaigL | cathacha |
| Vocative | cathachL | cathaigL | cathacha |
| Accusative | cathaigN | cathaigL | cathacha |
| Genitive | cathaige | cathachL | cathachN |
| Dative | cathaigL | cathachaib | cathachaib |
Initial mutations of a following adjective:
| |||
Descendants
- Irish: cathach
Mutation
| Old Irish mutation | ||
|---|---|---|
| Radical | Lenition | Nasalization |
| cathach | chathach | cathach pronounced with /ɡ(ʲ)-/ |
| Note: Some of these forms may be hypothetical. Not every possible mutated form of every word actually occurs. | ||
Further reading
- “1 cathach (‘bellicose’)” in Dictionary of the Irish Language, Royal Irish Academy, 1913–76.
- “2 cathach (‘relic’)” in Dictionary of the Irish Language, Royal Irish Academy, 1913–76.