Focal an Lae #74
The Word of the Day in Irish
Word: iarann (EE-uh-ruhn)
Meaning: iarann = iron
Usage:
- chomh crua leis an iarann (XOH KROO-uh lehsh uh nyEE-uh-ruhn) = as hard as iron
- iarann tiomána (... CHIH-maw-nuh) = driving iron (golf)
- Tá an dá iarann déag sa teallach aige. (TAW uhn DAW EE-uh-ruhn JAYG suh CHAL-uhx EHG-yuh)
= He has too many (lit., twelve) irons in the fire.
History: Old Irish “iarn” comes from Common Celtic *īsarno- (strong or holy metal).
Compare Gaulish “isarno-”, Welsh “haearn” and Breton “houarn”.
The Common Celtic word comes from the reconstructed Indo-European word *is(ə)ro- (powerful, holy), based on *eis-, a root denoting passion.
English cognates include “iron”, from a Germanic word that may have been borrowed from Celtic, and “ire” from Latin.
Scottish Gaelic: iarann
NOTE: Henceforth in the History section, the IPA symbol ‘ə’ will be used to indicate schwa, the neutral vowel.