Focal an Lae #178
The Word of the Day in Irish

Word: déag (JAY-uhg) [d′eːg]

Meaning: déag = -teen, and-ten

Usage:

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

2008-06-19 CPD