Old Irish

edit

Etymology

edit

Probably from Proto-Celtic *erbyeti or *erbeti (to entrust). Cognate with Old Irish orb (heir), Latin orbus (bereft, parentless), Ancient Greek ὀρφανός (orphanós, orphan), Gothic 𐌰𐍂𐌱𐌾𐌰 (arbja, inheritance), if the root of these words is Proto-Indo-European *h₁erbʰ- (to bequeath) rather than *h₃erbʰ- as traditionally reconstructed.[1][2] However, the latter reconstruction can be retained if Pedersen is correct that the Old Irish verb comes not from Proto-Celtic *erbyeti but rather from *ɸare-orbyeti, with reinterpretation of the expected prototonic *·air’rbai as a simple conjunct ·erbai with new absolute forms built to it.[3]

Pronunciation

edit
  • IPA(key): /ˈerbəðʲ/, [ˈerbɨðʲ]

Verb

edit

erbaid (conjunct ·erbai, verbal noun erbud)

  1. to entrust (with do or fri the people entrusted)
    Synonyms: ad·noí, do·imnai, léicid
    • c. 800, Würzburg Glosses on the Pauline Epistles, published in Thesaurus Palaeohibernicus (reprinted 1987, Dublin Institute for Advanced Studies), edited and with translations by Whitley Stokes and John Strachan, vol. I, pp. 499–712, Wb. 10b27
      is hed ro·erpad dom dom thoschid
      This is what was entrusted to me for my sustenance.
    • c. 800, Würzburg Glosses on the Pauline Epistles, published in Thesaurus Palaeohibernicus (reprinted 1987, Dublin Institute for Advanced Studies), edited and with translations by Whitley Stokes and John Strachan, vol. I, pp. 499–712, Wb. 25d20
      ro·creitsid-si a forcell forro·gelsam-ni dúib di laithiu brátho ɫ. ro·erbad dún-ni forcell do·thabirt díb-si i llaithiu bratho
      You have believed the testimony that we have testified unto you of Doomsday, or, we were entrusted to bear testimony of you on Doomsday.
    • c. 800, Würzburg Glosses on the Pauline Epistles, published in Thesaurus Palaeohibernicus (reprinted 1987, Dublin Institute for Advanced Studies), edited and with translations by Whitley Stokes and John Strachan, vol. I, pp. 499–712, Wb. 8c12
      amal as friss ro·airptha
      as they have been entrusted to them
    • c. 700–800 Táin Bó Cúailnge, from the Yellow Book of Lecan, published in The Táin Bó Cúailnge from the Yellow Book of Lecan, with variant readings from the Lebor na hUidre (1912, Dublin: Hodges, Figgis, and Co.), edited by John Strachan and James George O'Keeffe, TBC-I 2865
      Is and-sin iarum erpais in leig togu dó, imbad buith fora huthar co cend mbliadna ⁊ beathu dó iarum, fa nert trí lá ⁊ trí n-aidchi fochétóir do imbirt fora náimdib.
      It is hereafter that [Fingin] the physician gave him [Cethern] a choice: a year-long illness after which [Cethern] can get help, or strength (effective immediately) for three days and three nights to use on his enemies.
  2. to trust
    • c. 800–825, Diarmait, Milan Glosses on the Psalms, published in Thesaurus Palaeohibernicus (reprinted 1987, Dublin Institute for Advanced Studies), edited and with translations by Whitley Stokes and John Strachan, vol. I, pp. 7–483, Ml. 51b10
      In tan as·mber Dauid “intellectum tibi dabo”, sech is arde són do·mbéra Día do neuch nod·n-eirbea ind ⁊ génas triit con·festar cid as imgabthi do dénum di ulc ⁊ cid as déinti dó di maith. Aithesc trá lesom insin a persin Dǽ.
      When David says, “I will give thee understanding”, that is a sign that God will give to everyone that will trust in him, and work through him, that he may know what evil he must avoid doing, and what good he must do. He has then here a reply in the person of God.
    • c. 800–825, Diarmait, Milan Glosses on the Psalms, published in Thesaurus Palaeohibernicus (reprinted 1987, Dublin Institute for Advanced Studies), edited and with translations by Whitley Stokes and John Strachan, vol. I, pp. 7–483, Ml. 51b12
      ní ind ḟessin eirbthi, ⁊ nách dó du·aisilbi na nní do·gní, acht is do Dia
      it is not in himself that he trusts, and it is not to himself that he ascribes whatever he does, but it is to God

Inflection

edit

Derived terms

edit

Descendants

edit
  • Irish: earb
  • Scottish Gaelic: earb

Mutation

edit
Mutation of erbaid
radical lenition nasalization
erbaid
(pronounced with /h/ in h-prothesis environments)
unchanged n-erbaid

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

References

edit
  1. ^ Schumacher, Stefan, Schulze-Thulin, Britta (2004) “Urkelt. ?*erb-(i̯)e/o - ‘?anvertrauen, ?hinterlassen’”, in Die keltischen Primärverben: ein vergleichendes, etymologisches und morphologisches Lexikon [The Celtic Primary Verbs: A comparative, etymological and morphological lexicon] (Innsbrucker Beiträge zur Sprachwissenschaft; 110) (in German), Innsbruck: Institut für Sprachen und Literaturen der Universität Innsbruck, →ISBN, pages 292-94
  2. ^ Matasović, Ranko (2009) “*erb-(y)o-”, in Etymological Dictionary of Proto-Celtic (Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series; 9), Leiden: Brill, →ISBN, page 117
  3. ^ Pedersen, Holger (1913) Vergleichende Grammatik der keltischen Sprachen (in German), volume II, Göttingen: Vandenhoeck und Ruprecht, →ISBN, pages 513–14

Further reading

edit