brath

See also: bráð and bráth

English

Alternative forms

• breth, breith, brethe, braith, berth, berthe (Scotland)

Pronunciation

• Rhymes: -æθ

Etymology 1

From Middle English brath, broth, braith, from Old Norse bráðr (“hasty, sudden”), from Proto-Germanic *brēþaz (“hot, in a hurry, rushed”), from Proto-Indo-European *bʰrē-, *bʰerē- (“steam, vapour”), from *bʰer- (“to seethe, toss about, cook”). Cognate with Icelandic bráður (“quick, hasty, excited”), Swedish bråd (“hasty, sudden, urgent”), Danish bråd (“hasty, sudden”). Related to breath, brew.

Adjective

brath (comparative brather or more brath, superlative brathest or most brath)

1. (UK dialectal) Hasty; violent; fierce; strong.

Synonyms

• snell

Derived terms

• brathly

Etymology 2

From Middle English brath, from Old Norse bráð (“haste”), from bráðr (“hasty”). See above.

Noun

brath (uncountable)

1. (UK dialectal) Violence; fierceness; anger; fury; fit of rage.

Anagrams

• Barth, barth

Irish

Etymology

From Middle Irish brath, from Old Irish mrath (“treachery, betrayal”),^[1] from Proto-Celtic *mratom (“deceit”), from Proto-Indo-European *merh₂- (“crumble, destroy”).^[2]

Pronunciation

• (Munster) IPA^(key): /bˠɾˠɑh/^[3]
• (Cois Fharraige) IPA^(key): /bˠɾˠa/
• (Ulster) IPA^(key): /bˠɾˠah/^[4]

Noun

brath m (genitive singular as substantive braith, genitive as verbal noun braite)

1. verbal noun of braith
2. perception, feeling, detection
3. spying, betrayal
4. expectation, intention; dependence, reliance (with ar (“on”))

   Tá mé ag brath ort.

   I’m relying on you.

Declension

Verbal noun:

Declension of brath (irregular, no plural)

bare forms case singular nominative brath vocative a bhrath genitive braite dative brath forms with the definite article case singular nominative an brath genitive an bhraite dative leis an mbrath don bhrath

Substantive:

Declension of brath (first declension, no plural)

bare forms case singular nominative brath vocative a bhraith genitive braith dative brath forms with the definite article case singular nominative an brath genitive an bhraith dative leis an mbrath don bhrath

Mutation

Mutated forms of brath

radical	lenition	eclipsis
brath	bhrath	mbrath

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), “brath”, in eDIL: Electronic Dictionary of the Irish Language
2. Matasović, Ranko (2009) “*mrato-”, in Etymological Dictionary of Proto-Celtic (Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series; 9), Leiden: Brill, →ISBN
3. Sjoestedt, M. L. (1931) Phonétique d’un parler irlandais de Kerry [Phonetics of an Irish Dialect of Kerry] (in French), Paris: Librairie Ernest Leroux, § 188, page 94
4. Quiggin, E. C. (1906) A Dialect of Donegal, Cambridge University Press, § 175, page 67

Further reading

• Ó Dónaill, Niall (1977) “brath”, in Foclóir Gaeilge–Béarla, Dublin: An Gúm, →ISBN
• Mullen, Alex (2019) Southern Gaul and the Mediterranean: Multilingualism and Multiple Identities in the Iron Age and Roman Periods, Cambridge University Press, →ISBN
• Zair, Nicholas (2012) The reflexes of the Proto-Indo-European laryngeals in Celtic, Leiden: Brill, →ISBN

Scottish Gaelic

Etymology

From Middle Irish brath, from Old Irish mrath (“treachery, betrayal”), from Proto-Celtic *mratom (“deceit”), from Proto-Indo-European *merh₂- (“crumble, destroy”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /pɾah/

Noun

brath m (genitive singular bratha)

1. knowledge, notice, informing, information
2. treachery, advantage by unfair means, betraying, spying
3. treason, betrayal
4. intention, design
5. pursuit of information
6. expectation
7. opinion, idea, guess
8. mass, lump
9. lie
10. dependence

Derived terms

• aig sealbh tha brath
• gabh brath
• brath-foilleil

Mutation

Mutation of brath

radical	lenition
brath	bhrath

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

Further reading

• Edward Dwelly (1911) “brath”, in Faclair Gàidhlig gu Beurla le Dealbhan [The Illustrated Gaelic–English Dictionary]‎, 10th edition, Edinburgh: Birlinn Limited, →ISBN
• Gregory Toner, Sharon Arbuthnot, Máire Ní Mhaonaigh, Marie-Luise Theuerkauf, Dagmar Wodtko, editors (2019), “brath”, in eDIL: Electronic Dictionary of the Irish Language
• Matasović, Ranko (2009) “*mrato-”, in Etymological Dictionary of Proto-Celtic (Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series; 9), Leiden: Brill, →ISBN
• Mullen, Alex (2019) Southern Gaul and the Mediterranean: Multilingualism and Multiple Identities in the Iron Age and Roman Periods, Cambridge University Press, →ISBN
• Zair, Nicholas (2012) The reflexes of the Proto-Indo-European laryngeals in Celtic, Leiden: Brill, →ISBN

Welsh

Etymology

From Proto-Celtic *brazdos, alternative form of *brozdos (“point, tip”) (compare Middle Irish brot (“goad, spike”)), from Proto-Indo-European *bʰresdʰh₁-, from *bʰers- (“tip, point”). Related to Old Norse broddr.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /braːθ/
• Rhymes: -aːθ

Noun

brath m (plural brathau)

1. bite, sting, stab
2. wound, injury

Derived terms

• brathu (“to bite”)

Mutation

Mutated forms of brath

radical	soft	nasal	aspirate
brath	frath	mrath	unchanged

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

Further reading

• R. J. Thomas, G. A. Bevan, P. J. Donovan, A. Hawke et al., editors (1950–present), “brath”, in Geiriadur Prifysgol Cymru Online (in Welsh), University of Wales Centre for Advanced Welsh & Celtic Studies
• Matasović, Ranko (2009) “*brozdo-”, in Etymological Dictionary of Proto-Celtic (Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series; 9), Leiden: Brill, →ISBN, page 80