aistear

Irish

Alternative forms

• aistir, astar

Etymology

From Old Irish astar (“journey, travel”).^[1]

Pronunciation

• (Aran) IPA^(key): /ˈæʃtʲəɾʲ/^[2] (corresponding to the form aistir)
• (Ulster) IPA^(key): /ˈasˠt̪ˠəɾˠ/^[3] (corresponding to the form astar)

Noun

aistear m or f (genitive singular aistir or aistire, nominative plural aistir or aistreacha)

1. journey
   • 1899, Franz Nikolaus Finck, Die araner mundart [The Aran Dialect], volume II (overall work in German), Marburg: Elwert’sche Verlagsbuchhandlung, page 31:

     sl̄ān lȧt, gə n-aiŕī t-æšcŕ̥ lȧt!

     [Slán leat, go n-éirí t’aistir leat!]

     Goodbye, may your journey be successful!

     ḱē n mĭȧs tā agət eŕ mə xomrādə æšcŕ̥ə [oder šūl]?

     [Cén meas atá agat ar mo chomráda aistire [or siúil]?]

     What do you think of my traveling companion?

2. roundabout way; inconvenience

Declension

As masculine noun

Declension of aistear (first declension)

bare forms case singular plural nominative aistear aistir vocative a aistir a aisteara genitive aistir aistear dative aistear aistir forms with the definite article case singular plural nominative an t-aistear na haistir genitive an aistir na n-aistear dative leis an aistear don aistear leis na haistir

• Alternative plural: aistreacha

As feminine noun

Declension of aistear (second declension)

bare forms case singular plural nominative aistear aistreacha vocative a aistear a aistreacha genitive aistire aistreacha dative aistear aistir (archaic, dialectal) aistreacha forms with the definite article case singular plural nominative an aistear na haistreacha genitive na haistire na n-aistreacha dative leis an aistear leis an aistir (archaic, dialectal) don aistear don aistir (archaic, dialectal) leis na haistreacha

Derived terms

• aistreach (“journeying, roving; restless, unsettled; out of the way, inconvenient; transitive”, adjective)
• aistreán m (“out-of-the-way place; inconvenience”)
• neamh-aistear m (“want of occupation, inactivity, idleness; thoughtlessness; mischief”)

Mutation

Mutated forms of aistear

radical	eclipsis	with h-prothesis	with t-prothesis
aistear	n-aistear	haistear	t-aistear

Note: Certain mutated forms of some words can never occur in standard Modern Irish.
All possible mutated forms are displayed for convenience.

References

1. Gregory Toner, Sharon Arbuthnot, Máire Ní Mhaonaigh, Marie-Luise Theuerkauf, Dagmar Wodtko, editors (2019), “astar”, in eDIL: Electronic Dictionary of the Irish Language
2. Finck, F. N. (1899) Die araner mundart [The Aran Dialect] (in German), volume II, Marburg: Elwert’sche Verlagsbuchhandlung, page 30
3. Quiggin, E. C. (1906) A Dialect of Donegal, Cambridge University Press, § 129, page 49

Further reading

• Ó Dónaill, Niall (1977) “aistear”, in Foclóir Gaeilge–Béarla, Dublin: An Gúm, →ISBN
• Dinneen, Patrick S. (1904) “aistear”, in Foclóir Gaeḋilge agus Béarla, 1st edition, Dublin: Irish Texts Society, page 19
• de Bhaldraithe, Tomás (1959) “aistear”, in English-Irish Dictionary, An Gúm
• “aistear”, in New English-Irish Dictionary, Foras na Gaeilge, 2013-2024