Focal an Lae #316
The Word of the Day in Irish
Word: seilbh (SHEH-lihv) [s′el′əv′]
Meaning: seilbh = possession, occupancy
Usage:
- Ghlac sí seilbh ar an áit. (GHLAHK shee SHEH-lihv ehr uhn AWCH) [ghlak s′iː s′el′əv′ er′ ən aːt′] = She took possession of the place.
- Cé atá i seilbh an tí? (KAY uh-TAW uh SHEH-lihv uhn CHEE) [k′eː ətaː ə s′el′əv′ ən t′iː] = Who is in possession of the house?
History: Old Irish “selb” and Welsh “helw” (protection) come from Indo-European *sel-wo-, from the root *sel- (to take, grasp).
English “sell”, from the Germanic causative *saljan (to cause to take, deliver), is a cognate.
Scottish Gaelic: sealbh