Focal an Lae #8

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The Word of the Day in Irish

Word: óg (OHG - like English “oak”, but with a “g”)

Meaning: óg = young

Usage:

• bean óg (BAN OHG) = a young woman
• Tá mé óg. (TAW may OHG) = I’m young.

Óg can also be a noun meaning “young person”, as in the famous Gaelic otherworld, Tír na nÓg (CHEER nuh NOHG), The Land of the Young.

History: Óg comes from Old Irish “oac”, which comes from a Common Celtic word reconstructed as “yuwankos”. Modern Welsh “ieuanc, ifanc” and Breton “yaouank” more closely resemble the ancestral word, which comes ultimately from the Indo-European root *yeu- (vital force, youthful vigour). English cognates include “young” and “juvenile”.