Focal an Lae #100
The Word of the Day in Irish
Word: leathan (LYA-huhn, A as in “cat”) [l′æhən]
Meaning: leathan = broad, wide
Usage:
- fear leathan láidir (FAR LYA-huhn LAW-jihr, A as in “cat”) [f′ær l′æhən laːd′ər′] = a big, brawny man (lit., broad and strong)
- eolas leathan (OH-luhs LYA-huhn) [oːləs l′æhən] = broad knowledge
- caol le caol is leathan le leathan (KWEE-uhl...) [kiːl...] = narrow with narrow and broad with broad.
This is the traditional formulation of the basic Gaelic spelling rule: slender consonants (those with an inherent y-glide)
are shown by having only slender vowels (i or e) written next to them, and broad consonants (those with an inherent w-glide)
have only broad vowels (a, o, u) beside them. Example: in “láidir”, the “l” is shown to be broad by the “a” following it,
and the “d” is shown to be slender (a dy sound that approaches a j) by the “i” on either side of it.
The final “r” is also slender, as shown by the adjacent “i”.
History: Old Irish “lethan”, Welsh “llydan”, Breton “ledan” and Gaulish “litano-” all come from Common Celtic *litano-,
which derives (with the standard CC loss of “p”) from Indo-European *plt-no- (broad), which is the suffixed zero grade of the
root *plat- (to spread). A good English cognate from this root is “flat”. In Irish, the verb “leath” (spread) is an obvious cognate.
Scottish Gaelic: leathan