Focal an Lae #39
The Word of the Day in Irish
Word: fios (FISS)
Meaning: fios = knowledge, information
Usage:
- Níl a fhios agam. (NEEL ISS AH-guhm) = I don’t know. (lit., (there) is-not its knowledge at-me)
- gan fhios dom (guhn ISS duhm) = without my knowledge (lit., without knowledge for-me)
- bean feasa (BAN FA-suh, A’s as in “cat”) = wise woman, fortune teller (lit., woman of-knowledge)
History: Old Irish “fiuss” derives from Archaic Irish *wissuh (5-6th cent. AD), from Common Celtic *wissos,
going back to Indo-European *wid-tu-s, the suffixed zero-grade of the root *weid- (to see).
English cognates are “wit” and “wisdom”, and a well-known Sanskrit cognate is “Veda”.
Scottish Gaelic: fios