Focal an Lae #89
The Word of the Day in Irish
Word: súil (SOO-ihl) [suːl′]
Meaning: súil = eye; expectation, hope
Usage:
- Tá súile gorma aice. (TAW SOO-luh GOR-uh-muh EH-kyih) [taː suːl′ə gorəmə ek′i] = She has blue eyes.
- Thug mé súil air. (HOOG may SOO-ihl EHR, first OO as in “book”, second OO as in “cool”) [hug m′eː suːl′ er′] = I had a look at it.
(lit., I gave eye on-it)
- Tá súil agam go bhfuil tú go maith. (TAW SOO-ihl AH-guhm guh WIHL too gu MAH) [taː suːl′ agəm gə vil tuː gə mah] = I hope that you are fine.
(lit., is hope at-me that you are well)
History: Old Irish “súil” comes from Common Celtic *sūlis, which derives from Indo-European *sāwel- (sun).
The metaphorical leap from “sun” to “eye” may seem extreme, but is not unprecedented.
“Súil” is thus cognate with various “sun” words, from Welsh “haul” to Latin “sol”, which yields English cognates such as “solar”.
The Irish word for “sun” is the completely unrelated “grian”.
Scottish Gaelic: sùil