Focal an Lae #307
The Word of the Day in Irish
Word: sciath (SHKEE-uh) [s′k′iːə]
Meaning: sciath = shield
Usage:
- Thug sé faoina sciath iad. (HUG shay fwee-nuh SHKEE-uh EE-uhd) [hug s′eː fiːnə s′k′iːə iːəd]
= He took them under his protection. (lit., under his shield)
- buaileam sciath (BOO-ih-luhm ...) [buːəl′əm ...] = bravado, swagger, boasting (roughly, 'shield thumping')
History: Old Irish “scíath”, Welsh “ysgwyd” and Breton “skoed” all come from the Indo-European root *skei- (to cut, split),
a shield probably being originally a split plank or board. Cognates in English, from Latin “scutum” (shield), include “escutcheon” and “esquire”.
Scottish Gaelic: sgiath