Focal an Lae #217
The Word of the Day in Irish
Word: luigh (LIH) [l′i]; luí (LEE) [l′iː]
Meaning: luigh = lie down; luí = lying down
Usage:
- Luigh fút! (LIH FOOT) [l′i fuːt] = Lie down! (lit., lie under-you)
- Luíonn sé le réasún. (LEE-uhn shay luh RAY-soon) [liːən s′eː lə reːsuːn] = It stands to reason. (lit., it lies-down with reason)
- luí na gréine (LEE nuh GRAY-nuh) [liː nə g′r′eːn′ə] = sunset (lit., lying-down of-the sun)
History: Old Irish “laigid” (lies down) and “lige” (lying down, bed), and Welsh “lle” (place)
come from the Indo-European root *legh- (to lie, lay).
Cognates in English include “lie”, “lay” and “lees”, the latter from Medieval Latin “lia”,
probably from Gaulish *leg-yā or *legā (that which lies, i.e., in the bottom of the barrel or cup).
Scottish Gaelic: laigh, laighe