Focal an Lae #71
The Word of the Day in Irish
Word: scéal (SHKAY-uhl)
Meaning: scéal = story; news
Usage:
- D’inis sé scéal. (JIH-nish shay SHKAY-uhl) = He told a story.
- Aon scéal? (AY-uhn SHKAY-uhl?) = Any news?
- Níl ann ach scéal scéil. (NEEL AWN ahx SHKAY-uhl SHKAYL) = It’s only hearsay. (lit., is-not in-it but story of-story)
- scéal an ghamhna bhuí (... uh GHOW-nuh WEE, OW as in “cow”) = a tall tale, a cock-and-bull story (lit., the tale of the yellow calf)
History: Old Irish “scél” comes from Common Celtic *skwetlom (compare Welsh “chwedl”), from Indo-European *skwe-tlom,
which can be analyzed as the root *sekw- (to say) plus *-tlom, a suffix conveying the sense of means or instrument.
English cognates include “say” and “saga”.
Scottish Gaelic: sgeul