Focal an Lae #206
The Word of the Day in Irish
Word: meirg (MEH-rihg) [m′er′əg′]
Meaning: meirg = rust
Usage:
- Tháinig meirg ar an iarann. (HAW-nihg MEH-rihg ehr uhn EE-uh-ruhn) [haːn′əg′ m′er′əg′ er′ ən iːərən]
= The iron got rusty. (lit., rust came on the iron)
- Tá meirg ar mo chuid Gaeilge. (TAW MEH-rihg ehr muh KHWIJ GWAYL-gyuh) [taː m′er′əg′ er′ mə xid′ geːl′g′ə] = My Irish is rusty.
History: Old Irish “meirc” comes from the Indo-European root *merk- (to decay).
The only English cognate is “marcescent”, a technical term in botany that comes from Latin “marcere” (to decay, wither).
Scottish Gaelic: meirg