Focal an Lae #359
The Word of the Day in Irish
Word: léim (LAYM) [l′eːm′]
Meaning: léim = jump, leap; a jump, a leap
Usage:
- Léim thar an sruthán! (LAYM hahr uh SRU-hawn) [l′eːm′ har ə sruhaːn] = Jump across the stream.
- Léim an cat in airde ar an tolg. (LAYM uh KAHT uhn AWR-juh ehr uh TO-luhg) [l′eːm′ ə kat ən aːr′d′ə er′ ə toləg] = The cat jumped up onto the sofa.
- D’éirigh sé de léim. (JAY-ruh shay duh LAYM) [d′eːr′ə s′eː də l′eːm′] = He jumped upright. (lit., rose he of a leap)
History: Old Irish “léimm”, which is the verbal noun of “lingid” (leaps), Welsh “llam” and Breton “lamm”
come from Common Celtic *lang-smen-, from the Indo-European root *legwh- (light, not heavy).
Cognates in English include “light” and “levitate”.
Scottish Gaelic: leum