Focal an Lae #69

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The Word of the Day in Irish

Word: long (LOHNG)

Meaning: long = ship

Usage:

• long chogaidh (LOHNG XO-gwee) = battleship (lit., ship of war)
• loingeas (LING-guhs) = fleet of ships; as in Aer Lingus, with its annoying anglicized spelling
• Is minic a cailleadh long láimh le cuan. (iss MIH-nihk uh KYLE-yoo LOHNG LAWV leh KOO-uhn) = Often a ship was lost right outside the harbour. (= There’s many a slip twixt the cup and the lip.)

History: Old Irish “long” is believed to be borrowed from Latin “(navis) longa” (battleship; lit., long ship). Latin “longus, longa” comes from Indo-European *(d)longho- (long), from the root *del- (long).

Scottish Gaelic: long