Focal an Lae #178
The Word of the Day in Irish
Word: déag (JAY-uhg) [d′eːg]
Meaning: déag = -teen, and-ten
Usage:
- aon déag (AY-uhn JAY-uhg) [eːn d′eːg] = eleven (lit., one and-ten)
- cúig déag (KOO-ihg JAY-uhg) [kuːg′ d′eːg] = fifteen
- cúig bhád déag = fifteen boats (lit., five boat and-ten)
History: Old Irish “deac” has been derived alternatively from Indo-European *dekm (ten) + -kwe (and) or *dekm + kom (with) as follows:
*dekm-kwe > *dekank > *dechaeg > *deeg > deac; *dekm-kom > *dechēgan > *decheg > *deeg > deac.
Semantically, the explanations are very similar: “and-ten” and “with-ten”.
The first element appears in English in words such as “decimal” and “decade”.
Scottish Gaelic: deug