Focal an Lae #135
The Word of the Day in Irish
Word: fíor (FEE-uhr) [f′iːr]
Meaning: fíor = figure; shape; outline
(This “fíor” has the same spelling and pronunciation as the word meaning “true”, but has a completely different origin and meaning.)
Usage:
- fíor na croise (... nuh KROSH-uh) [...nə kros′ə] = sign of the cross
- fíor na spéire (... nuh SPAY-ruh) [...nə sp′eːr′ə] = the horizon (lit., outline of the sky)
History: Old Irish “figor” was borrowed from Latin “figura”, which comes from Indo-European *dhigh-ūrā (shaping-result),
the suffixed zero grade of the root *dheigh- (to form, build). “Figure” is an obvious cognate in English.