fleascach

Irish

Etymology 1

From Middle Irish flescach (“lad under 17, whose weapon was a rod or wand rather than a spear”).^[1] By surface analysis, fleasc (“wand”) +‎ -ach. Cognate with Scottish Gaelic fleasgach.

Alternative forms

• fleascachán, fleascánach
• fleasgach, fleasgachán, fleasgánach (superseded)^[2]

Noun

fleascach m (genitive singular fleascaigh, nominative plural fleascaigh)

1. stripling, youth
2. rascal

Declension

Declension of fleascach (first declension)

bare forms case singular plural nominative fleascach fleascaigh vocative a fhleascaigh a fhleascacha genitive fleascaigh fleascach dative fleascach fleascaigh forms with the definite article case singular plural nominative an fleascach na fleascaigh genitive an fhleascaigh na bhfleascach dative leis an bhfleascach don fhleascach leis na fleascaigh

Etymology 2

From Middle Irish flescach (“abounding in shoot or branches; youthful”).^[1] By surface analysis, fleasc (“wand”) +‎ -ach.

Alternative forms

• fleascúil
• fleascamhail, fleasgach, fleasgamhail (superseded)^[3]

Adjective

fleascach (genitive singular masculine fleascaigh, genitive singular feminine fleascaí, plural fleascacha, comparative fleascaí)

1. youthful
2. wreathed

Declension

Declension of fleascach

	singular		plural (m/f)
Positive	masculine	feminine	(strong noun)	(weak noun)
nominative	fleascach	fhleascach	fleascacha; fhleascacha2
vocative	fhleascaigh		fleascacha
genitive		fleascaí	fleascacha	fleascach
dative	fleascach; fhleascach1	fhleascach; fhleascaigh (archaic)	fleascacha; fhleascacha2
Comparative	níos fleascaí
Superlative	is fleascaí

¹ When the preceding noun is lenited and governed by the definite article.
² When the preceding noun ends in a slender consonant.

Mutation

Mutated forms of fleascach

radical	lenition	eclipsis
fleascach	fhleascach	bhfleascach

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), “flescach or dil.ie/22309”, in eDIL: Electronic Dictionary of the Irish Language
2. “fleascach”, in Historical Irish Corpus, 1600–1926, Royal Irish Academy
3. “fleascach”, in Historical Irish Corpus, 1600–1926, Royal Irish Academy

Further reading

• Dinneen, Patrick S. (1904) “fleascaċ”, in Foclóir Gaeḋilge agus Béarla, 1st edition, Dublin: Irish Texts Society, page 320
• Dinneen, Patrick S. (1927) “fleascaċ”, in Foclóir Gaeḋilge agus Béarla, 2nd edition, Dublin: Irish Texts Society
• Ó Dónaill, Niall (1977) “fleascach”, in Foclóir Gaeilge–Béarla, Dublin: An Gúm, →ISBN