Focal an Lae #321
The Word of the Day in Irish
Word: fásach (FAW-suhkh) [faːsəx]
Meaning: fásach = desert, wilderness
Usage:
- Thug sé an fásach air féin. (HUG shay uhn FAW-suhkh ehr HAYN) [hug s′eː ən faːsəx er′ heːn′]
= He headed for the wilderness. (lit., took he the wilderness on-him self)
- Tá mo ghairdín ina fhásach arís. (TAW muh GHAHR-jeen uh-nuh AW-suhkh uh-REESH) [taː mə ghar′d′iːn′ ənə aːsəx ər′iːs′]
= My garden is all overgrown again. (lit., is my garden in-its wilderness again)
History: Old Irish “fásach” comes from Indo-European *wās-to-, an extended and suffixed form of the root *eu- (empty).
Cognates in English from Latin “vastus” (empty, waste) include “waste” and “devastate”.
Scottish Gaelic: fàsach