Focal an Lae #23
The Word of the Day in Irish
Word: nua (NOO-uh)
Meaning: nua = new
Usage:
- peann nua (PYAHN NOO-uh) = a new pen
- nuacht (NOO-uhxt) = news
- nuachtán (NOO-uhx-tahn) = newspaper
History: Old Irish has variously “nuie, nue, nuae”, derived from Common
Celtic *nowiyos. Compare Welsh “newydd”, Breton “nevez” and the Gaulish
placename “Noviodunum” (new fort), which has become “Nyon, Nyons” in
modern French. The ultimate source is the Indo-European root *newo- (new).
Scottish Gaelic: nuadh or nodha, but these words are rarely used; the
more common word is “ùr” (OOR) - which is also used in Irish, where it
can mean either “fresh” or “new”.