Focal an Lae #202
The Word of the Day in Irish
Word: briathar (BREE-uh-huhr) [b′r′iːəhər]
Meaning: briathar = word; verb
Usage:
- Thug mé mo bhriathar. (HUG may muh VREE-uh-huhr) [hug m′eː mə v′r′iːəhər] = I gave my word.
- Dar mo bhriathar! (DAHR ...) [dar ...] = Upon my word!
- briathar neamhrialta (BREE-uh-huhr NYAV-REE-uhl-tuh) [b′r′iːəhər n′ævriːəltə] = irregular verb (lit., verb non-regular)
History: Old Irish “bríathar” (word) and Welsh “brwydr” (battle, conflict) both come from Indo-European *bhrei-trā (quarrel),
from the root *bhrēi- (to cut, break). The semantic transition from “quarrel” to “word” may seem extreme, but exactly the same thing
has happened with Scottish Gaelic “bruidhinn”, which is the ordinary word for “talk, speak”. It comes from Old Irish “bruiden”,
which means “quarrel”, and its cognate in Modern Irish, “bruíon”, still means “quarrel”.
The Indo-European root *bhrēi- is also the origin of Irish “bris” (break), which was
Focal #144.
Scottish Gaelic: briathar