tarbh

Irish

Etymology

From Old Irish tarb, from Proto-Celtic *tarwos (“bull”) (compare Welsh tarw, Cornish tarow, Breton tarv, Gaulish taruos), from Proto-Indo-European *táwros (“bull”) (compare Latin taurus).

Pronunciation

• (Munster) IPA^(key): /ˈt̪ˠɑɾˠəvˠ/
• (Connacht, Ulster) IPA^(key): /ˈt̪ˠaɾˠuː/

Noun

tarbh m (genitive singular tairbh, nominative plural tairbh)

1. bull (adult male bovine)
2. bull (adult male of other large mammal species)

   tarbh róin ― bull seal

Declension

Declension of tarbh

First declension

Bare forms: Case Singular Plural Nominative tarbh tairbh Vocative a thairbh a tharbha Genitive tairbh tarbh Dative tarbh tairbh

Forms with the definite article: Case Singular Plural Nominative an tarbh na tairbh Genitive an tairbh na dtarbh Dative leis an tarbh don tarbh leis na tairbh

• Alternative plurals:
  • toirbh (Cois Fharraige)
  • tuirbh

Derived terms

• Tarbh m (“Taurus”)
• tarbh sliasta (“thick of thigh, buttock”)
• tarbh tána m (“leader of herd; ringleader”)
• tarbh- (“bull-; bull-like, massive, powerful”)
• tarbh-bhrocaire m (“bull-terrier”)
• tarbhadóir m (“toreador, bullfighter”)
• tarbhán m (“bull-calf; young bull”)
• tarbhchomhrac m (“bullfight; bullfighting”)
• tarbhchomhraiceoir m (“toreador, bullfighter”)
• tarbhdha (“bull-like”, adjective)
• tarbhghadhar m (“bull-dog”)
• tarbhghríosú m (“bull-baiting”)

 

Mutation

Irish mutation
Radical	Lenition	Eclipsis
tarbh	tharbh	dtarbh
Note: Some of these forms may be hypothetical. Not every possible mutated form of every word actually occurs.

Further reading

• Ó Dónaill, Niall (1977) “tarbh”, in Foclóir Gaeilge–Béarla, Dublin: An Gúm, →ISBN
• de Bhaldraithe, Tomás (1959) “tarbh”, in English-Irish Dictionary, An Gúm
• “tarbh”, in New English-Irish Dictionary, Foras na Gaeilge, 2013-2024

Scottish Gaelic

Etymology

From Old Irish tarb, from Proto-Celtic *tarwos (“bull”) (compare Welsh tarw, Cornish tarow, Breton tarv, Gaulish taruos), from Proto-Indo-European *táwros (“bull”) (compare Latin taurus).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): [t̪ʰaɾav]

Noun

tarbh m (genitive singular tairbh, plural tairbh)

1. bull

Derived terms

• An Tarbh (“Taurus”)
• tarbh-allaidh (“buffalo”)
• tarbh-boidhre (“monster, demon”)
• tarbh-chù (“bulldog”)
• tarbh-coille (“dark cloud which when seen on New Year's Day portends a stormy season”)
• tarbh-dallaig (“blue shark”)
• tarbh-mhadadh (“bulldog”)
• tarbh-nathrach (“dragonfly; moth”)
• tarbh-oighre (“bull supposed to serve cows grazing near to lochs in which they are supposed to live”)
• tarbh-réidh (“farm-bull”)
• tarbh-ruagadh (“bull-baiting”)
• tarbh-shìolag (“weever or viperfish”)
• tarbh-tàna (“parish-, district-, or herd-bull, bull which is the property of a district”)
• tàrbh-truid (“furious bull”)
• tarbh-uisge (“water-bull, sea-bull or -cow”)
• tarbhan (“little bull; young bull”, diminutive)

 

Mutation

Scottish Gaelic mutation
Radical	Lenition
tarbh	tharbh
Note: Some of these forms may be hypothetical. Not every possible mutated form of every word actually occurs.

Further reading

• Edward Dwelly (1911) “tarbh”, in Faclair Gàidhlig gu Beurla le Dealbhan [The Illustrated Gaelic–English Dictionary]‎^[1], 10th edition, Edinburgh: Birlinn Limited, →ISBN
• Gregory Toner, Sharon Arbuthnot, Máire Ní Mhaonaigh, Marie-Luise Theuerkauf, Dagmar Wodtko, editors (2019), “tarb”, in eDIL: Electronic Dictionary of the Irish Language