Focal an Lae #47
The Word of the Day in Irish
Word: scuab (SKOO-uhb)
Meaning: scuab = broom, brush; to sweep
Usage:
- scuab fiacla (SKOO-uhb FEE-uh-kluh) = toothbrush
- Scuab an t-urlár! (SKOO-uhb uh TOOR-lawr, first OO as in “moon”, second OO as in “book”) = Sweep the floor.
History: Old Irish “scúap” was borrowed from Latin “scopae” (twigs, branches; broom), which seems to come from
the Indo-European root *(s)kop- (to cut with a blade).
The realm of
ENTOmology gives us a technical term which appears to be the only cognate in English:
“scopula - a dense, brushlike tuft of hairs, as on the feet of certain insects”.
Scottish Gaelic: sguab