fathach

Irish

Alternative forms

• aitheach, athach

Etymology

From Old Irish aithech (“farmer, peasant”).^[1] Cognate with Scottish Gaelic athach.

Pronunciation

• (Munster) IPA^(key): /ˈfˠɑhəx/^[2]
• (Connacht) IPA^(key): /ˈfˠahəx/^[3]; (Cois Fharraige) /ˈfˠax/, [ˈfˠaːx]^[4]
• (Ulster) IPA^(key): /ˈfˠaiha(x)/, /fˠaːx/^[5]

Noun

fathach m (genitive singular fathaigh, nominative plural fathaigh)

1. giant
2. giant star
3. bear (big man)

   fathach fir ― a bear of a man

Declension

Declension of fathach (first declension)

bare forms case singular plural nominative fathach fathaigh vocative a fhathaigh a fhathacha genitive fathaigh fathach dative fathach fathaigh forms with the definite article case singular plural nominative an fathach na fathaigh genitive an fhathaigh na bhfathach dative leis an bhfathach don fhathach leis na fathaigh

Derived terms

• banfhathach (“giantess”)
• fathach dearg (“red giant”)
• fathach fir (“huge man, giant of a man”)
• fathach gorm (“blue giant”)
• fathach-tuatha (“plebeian”)
• finéal fathaigh (“giant fennel”)
• fo-fhathach (“subgiant”)
• obair fathaigh (“gigantic, herculean, task”)
• ollfhathach (“supergiant”)

Mutation

Mutated forms of fathach

radical	lenition	eclipsis
fathach	fhathach	bhfathach

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

See also

• abhac

References

1. Gregory Toner, Sharon Arbuthnot, Máire Ní Mhaonaigh, Marie-Luise Theuerkauf, Dagmar Wodtko, editors (2019), “1 aithech”, in eDIL: Electronic Dictionary of the Irish Language
2. Sjoestedt, M. L. (1931) Phonétique d’un parler irlandais de Kerry [Phonetics of an Irish Dialect of Kerry] (in French), Paris: Librairie Ernest Leroux, § 261, page 133
3. Mhac an Fhailigh, Éamonn (1968) The Irish of Erris, Co. Mayo: A Phonemic Study, Dublin Institute for Advanced Studies, section 429, page 160
4. de Bhaldraithe, Tomás (1975) The Irish of Cois Fhairrge, Co. Galway: A Phonetic Study, revised edition, Dublin Institute for Advanced Studies, § 562, page 104
5. Quiggin, E. C. (1906) A Dialect of Donegal, Cambridge University Press, § 183, page 70

Further reading

• Ó Dónaill, Niall (1977) “fathach”, in Foclóir Gaeilge–Béarla, Dublin: An Gúm, →ISBN