rith

See also: rið and riþ

English

Alternative forms

• ride, rithe, rythe, ryth, rife, reeth

Etymology

From Middle English rīth (“a small stream”), rithe, from Old English rīþ m (“a small stream”), rīþe f, from Proto-West Germanic *rīþ, from Proto-Germanic *rīþaz, *rīþǭ (“stream, beck, brook”), from Proto-Indo-European *h₁rey- (“to arise, arise”).

Cognate with Old Frisian rīth, rīd (“stream, beck”), Old Saxon rīth (“stream, torrent”) (> Middle Low German rîde), Old Dutch rīth (“stream, beck”), German -reide (“stream”, in placenames).

Pronunciation

• (UK, US) IPA^(key): /ɹaɪθ/; (UK dialects) /ɹiːθ/

• Audio (Southern England):

  (file)

• Rhymes: -iːθ

Noun

rith (plural riths)

1. (obsolete) A small stream or channel.

   They waded further up the rith.

   • 1973 (quoting an earlier record), The Land Drainage Records of West Sussex: A Catalogue (West Sussex Record Office, David J. Butler), page xix:

     […] does not Cleanse part of two Riths or Sewers and repair so much of Pagham Wall against the Sea as doth belong to him to cleanse and to repair and the said Edward Woods to have notice to appear before us on the twenty Seventh day of this Instant December to give […]

   • 1968 (quoting an earlier record), Irish University Press Series of British Parliamentary [Records], page 472:

     […] Riths or Channels in the Harbour, as proposed in the Evidence of Charles Mant, Esquire, and alluded to in the Petition from Langstone, Your Committee are of opinion may be beneficially adopted and introduced in any Bill hereafter to […]

Usage notes

Now mostly found in surnames and place names like Hendrith and Tingrith.

Synonyms

• (small (usually fordable) stream): brooklet, bourn, freshet, gill, rill, rindle, rivulet, runlet, runnel, streamlet
• (small water course): beck, burn, crick, fresh, race, run

Further reading

• The Middle English Dictionary

Anagrams

• thir

Irish

Alternative forms

• reath (Ulster)

Etymology

From Old Irish reithid (verb)^[1] and riuth (noun),^[2] from Proto-Celtic *reteti (verb) and *retus (noun) (compare Middle Welsh redec), from Proto-Indo-European *Hreth₂-. The vowel of the verb has been replaced with the vowel of the verbal noun, but is preserved in the dialectal form reath.

Pronunciation

• (Munster) IPA^(key): /ɾˠɯh/, /ɾˠɞh/^[3]
• (Cois Fharraige) IPA^(key): /ɾˠʊ/
• (Ulster) IPA^(key): /ɾˠɪç/, (older) /ɾˠɯç/^[4]

Verb

rith (present analytic ritheann, future analytic rithfidh, verbal noun rith, past participle rite)

1. to run

Conjugation

		singular			plural			relative	autonomous
		first	second	third	first	second	third
indicative	present	rithim	ritheann tú; rithir†	ritheann sé, sí	rithimid	ritheann sibh	ritheann siad; rithid†	a ritheann; a ritheas	ritear
	past	rith mé; ritheas	rith tú; rithis	rith sé, sí	ritheamar; rith muid	rith sibh; ritheabhair	rith siad; ritheadar	a rith / ar rith*	ritheadh
	past habitual	rithinn	riteá	ritheadh sé, sí	rithimis; ritheadh muid	ritheadh sibh	rithidís; ritheadh siad	a ritheadh / a ritheadh*	rití
future		rithfidh mé; rithfead	rithfidh tú; rithfir†	rithfidh sé, sí	rithfimid; rithfidh muid	rithfidh sibh	rithfidh siad; rithfid†	a rithfidh; a rithfeas	rithfear
conditional		rithfinn	rithfeá	rithfeadh sé, sí	rithfimis; rithfeadh muid	rithfeadh sibh	rithfidís; rithfeadh siad	a rithfeadh / a rithfeadh*	rithfí
subjunctive	present	go rithe mé; go rithead†	go rithe tú; go rithir†	go rithe sé, sí	go rithimid; go rithe muid	go rithe sibh	go rithe siad; go rithid†	—	go ritear
	past	dá rithinn	dá riteá	dá ritheadh sé, sí	dá rithimis; dá ritheadh muid	dá ritheadh sibh	dá rithidís; dá ritheadh siad	—	dá rití
imperative		rithim	rith	ritheadh sé, sí	rithimis	rithigí; rithidh†	rithidís	—	ritear
verbal noun		rith
past participle		rite

conjugation of rith (first conjugation – A)

* indirect relative
† archaic or dialect form

Derived terms

• rith le (“to occur to”)

Noun

rith m or f (genitive singular reatha, nominative plural rití)

1. verbal noun of rith

   Synonym: reáchtáil

2. run

Declension

Bare forms: Case Singular Plural Nominative rith rití Vocative a rith a rití Genitive reatha rití Dative rith rití

Forms with the definite article: Case Singular Plural Nominative an rith na rití Genitive an reatha na rití Dative leis an rith don rith leis na rití

Declension of rith

Third declension

• Alternative plurals: reatha, rithe

Derived terms

• aga reatha
• airgead reatha
• caipiteal reatha
• caise reatha
• cloch reatha
• coimhlint reatha
• colún reatha
• comhordanáidí reatha
• cuairt reatha
• cuntas reatha
• dol reatha
• easpa reatha
• fáinne reatha
• fáscadh reatha
• feamainn reatha
• feochadán reatha
• fiolún reatha
• gaineamh reatha
• i rith
• íbhil reatha
• iomarbhá reatha
• lámhscríbhneoireacht reatha
• léim reatha
• ligean reatha
• pónaire reatha
• ráig reatha
• réalta reatha
• reathach
• reathaí
• reathaire
• rith as
• rith buair
• rith buan
• rith croí
• rith cúirte
• rith focail
• rith fola
• rith gorm
• rith sonais
• rith tinnis
• ruagaire reatha
• ruithne reatha
• saighead reatha
• scéal reatha
• scríbhneoireacht reatha
• scuad reatha
• seáp reatha
• snaidhm reatha
• spalpadh reatha
• súil reatha
• troid reatha
• uisce reatha

 

References

1. Gregory Toner, Sharon Arbuthnot, Máire Ní Mhaonaigh, Marie-Luise Theuerkauf, Dagmar Wodtko, editors (2019), “reithid”, in eDIL: Electronic Dictionary of the Irish Language
2. Gregory Toner, Sharon Arbuthnot, Máire Ní Mhaonaigh, Marie-Luise Theuerkauf, Dagmar Wodtko, editors (2019), “rith”, in eDIL: Electronic Dictionary of the Irish Language
3. Sjoestedt, M. L. (1931) Phonétique d’un parler irlandais de Kerry (in French), Paris: Librairie Ernest Leroux, § 90, page 50
4. Quiggin, E. C. (1906) A Dialect of Donegal, Cambridge University Press, § 180, page 69

Further reading

• (verb): Dinneen, Patrick S. (1904) “rithim”, in Foclóir Gaeḋilge agus Béarla, 1st edition, Dublin: Irish Texts Society, page 573
• (noun): Dinneen, Patrick S. (1904) “rith”, in Foclóir Gaeḋilge agus Béarla, 1st edition, Dublin: Irish Texts Society, page 573
• Ó Dónaill, Niall (1977) “rith”, in Foclóir Gaeilge–Béarla, Dublin: An Gúm, →ISBN

Welsh

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /riːθ/

Noun

rith

1. Soft mutation of rhith.

Mutation

Welsh mutation
radical	soft	nasal	aspirate
rhith	rith	unchanged	unchanged
Note: Some of these forms may be hypothetical. Not every possible mutated form of every word actually occurs.