Focal an Lae #118
The Word of the Day in Irish
Word: cnámh (KRAWV, KNAWV) [kraːv, knaːv]
Meaning: cnámh = bone
Usage:
- cnámh éisc (KRAWV AYSHK) [kraːv eːs′k′] = fish bone (lit., bone of fish)
- cnámha an scéil (KRAW-uh uhn SHKAYL) [kraːvə ən s′k′eːl′] = the outline of the story (lit., bones of the story)
- Téann focal le gaoth ach téann buille le cnámh. = Action counts more than words.
(lit., a word goes with wind but a blow goes with bone, i.e., to the bone)
History: Old Irish “cnáim” comes from Indo-European *knāmi-, a variation of the root *konəmo- (bone).
English “ham”, from the Old English word for “thigh”, is a not-too-obvious cognate.
Scottish Gaelic: cnàmh