Focal an Lae #111
The Word of the Day in Irish
Word: paidir (PAH-jihr) [pad′ər′]
Meaning: paidir = prayer
Usage:
- an Phaidir (uhn FAH-jihr) [ən fad′ər′] = the Lord’s Prayer
- paidrín (PAHJ-reen) [pad′r′iːn′] = rosary (lit., the diminutive form of “prayer”)
- Ná déan paidir chapaill de. (NAW JAYN PAH-jihr KHAH-pwill JEH) [naː d′eːn pad′ər′ xapəl′ d′e]
= Don’t make a long drawn-out story out of it. (lit., don’t make a horse’s prayer of-it)
History: Old Irish “paiter” comes from Latin “pater (noster)” = “(our) father”, which comes from Indo-European *pəter- (father).
Cognates in English are the native Germanic “father” and the Latin borrowing “paternal”.
Irish “athair” (father) derives from the same IE word, and shows the typical early Celtic loss of “p”.
Scottish Gaelic: paidir (although “ùrnaigh” is the usual word for “prayer”)