Focal an Lae #85
The Word of the Day in Irish
Word: taoiseach (TEE-shuhkh) [tːs′əx]
Meaning: taoiseach = chieftain; leader; prime minister
Usage:
- Originally, “taoiseach” meant the head of a clan or family group. Today, when capitalized, it means the prime minister of the Irish government,
and is used routinely in English as well as Irish.
- Tá an Taoiseach ina cheann ar an rialtas. (TAW uhn TEE-shuhkh uh-nuh HYAWN ehr uhn REE-uhl-tuhs) = The Taoiseach is the head of the government.
History: Old Irish “toísech and Welsh “tywysog” (prince) both come from Common Celtic *towissākos, which comes from
Indo-European *to-wed-tāko- (leader, forward-looker?) from the root *weid- (to see).
The earliest record of this word is the genitive form “tovisaci” (= of a leader) found in Ogam script carved
on stone in roughly the sixth century AD.
Other Irish words cognate with “taoiseach” are “tús” (start, beginning), “tosach” (beginning) and “tosaigh” (begin).
The “tosh” in Macintosh is our word in disguise: Macintosh is from Scottish Gaelic Mac an Tòisich and means “son of the leader”.
Scottish Gaelic: tòiseach