Focal an Lae #90
The Word of the Day in Irish
Word: bóthar (BOH-huhr) [boːhər]
Meaning: bóthar = road
Usage:
- Buail an bóthar! (BOO-ihl uh BOH-huhr) [buəl′ ə boːhər] = Hit the road! Beat it! Get lost!
- bóthar iarainn (BOH-huhr EE-uh-rihny, ny as in “canyon”) [boːhər iərən′] = railroad (lit., road of iron)
- Thug siad bata is bóthar dó. (HOOG shee-uhd BAH-tuh uhs BOH-huhr DOH, OO as in “book”) [hug s′iəd batə əs boːhər doː]
= They kicked him out, sacked him, fired him, dismissed him summarily. (lit., they gave walking stick and road to-him)
History: Old Irish “bóthar” has been traced, via *bou-itro-, back to Indo-European *gwou-itro- (cow-path).
For the etymology of “bó” (cow), see
Focal #29.
*itro- is derived from the IE root *ei- (to go), and its cognates include Latin “iter, itiner-” (journey), whence English “itinerary”.
Scottish Gaelic: bothar (although a far more common word is “rathad”)