bealach

Hello, you have come here looking for the meaning of the word bealach. In DICTIOUS you will not only get to know all the dictionary meanings for the word bealach, but we will also tell you about its etymology, its characteristics and you will know how to say bealach in singular and plural. Everything you need to know about the word bealach you have here. The definition of the word bealach will help you to be more precise and correct when speaking or writing your texts. Knowing the definition ofbealach, as well as those of other words, enriches your vocabulary and provides you with more and better linguistic resources.
See also: béalach

English

Etymology

From Irish bealach.

Noun

bealach (plural bealachs)

  1. (Ireland) A mountain pass.
    • 2018, Cameron McNeish, There's Always The Hills:
      These scoured-out basins form the grain of the land but excellent tracks weave their way through glens and up over the bealachs at their heads, giving good access to the summits, and what summits they are.

Irish

Etymology

From Middle Irish belach (“gap, pass, road, path”), perhaps from Proto-Celtic *bolko-, from Proto-Indo-European *bel- (“to dig, cut off?”), and possibly cognate with Welsh bwlch (“gap, pass”), Old Armenian պեղեմ (pełem, “to dig, hollow”), and Sanskrit बिल (bila, “hole, pit”).

Pronunciation

Noun

bealach m (genitive singular bealaigh, nominative plural bealaí)

  1. way
  2. road, track
    Synonyms: bóthar, ród
  3. route
    Synonyms: caoi, slí
  4. passage, thoroughfare
  5. direction
  6. distance, journey
  7. manner, method
  8. manner, respect
    Synonyms: bóthar, modh
  9. pass
  10. passage, sound (long narrow inlet)
    Synonyms: béal, caolas, sunda
  11. (broadcasting) channel
    Synonym: cainéal

Declension

Declension of bealach

First declension

Bare forms:

Case Singular Plural
Nominative bealach bealaí
Vocative a bhealaigh a bhealaí
Genitive bealaigh bealaí
Dative bealach bealaí

Forms with the definite article:

Case Singular Plural
Nominative an bealach na bealaí
Genitive an bhealaigh na mbealaí
Dative leis an mbealach

don bhealach

leis na bealaí

Derived terms

Mutation

Irish mutation
Radical Lenition Eclipsis
bealach bhealach mbealach
Note: Some of these forms may be hypothetical. Not every possible mutated form of every word actually occurs.

References

  1. ^ Petersson, Herbert (1916) “Beiträge zur armenischen Wortkunde”, in Zeitschrift für vergleichende Sprachforschung (in German), volume 47, number 3/4, pages 264–265
  2. ^ Pokorny, Julius (1959) Indogermanisches etymologisches Wörterbuch [Indo-European Etymological Dictionary] (in German), volume 1, Bern, München: Francke Verlag, page 96
  3. ^ Finck, F. N. (1899) Die araner mundart (in German), volume II, Marburg: Elwert’sche Verlagsbuchhandlung, page 37

Further reading

Scottish Gaelic

Etymology

From Middle Irish belach (“gap, pass, road, path”).

Pronunciation

Noun

bealach m (genitive singular bealaich, plural bealaichean)

  1. defile, passage, pass or gorge of a mountain, glen
  2. gap, breach (in a wall or fence)
  3. gateway, gate
  4. road

Mutation

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

Further reading

  • Edward Dwelly (1911) “bealach”, in Faclair Gàidhlig gu Beurla le Dealbhan [The Illustrated Gaelic–English Dictionary]‎, 10th edition, Edinburgh: Birlinn Limited, →ISBN
  • G. Toner, M. Ní Mhaonaigh, S. Arbuthnot, D. Wodtko, M.-L. Theuerkauf, editors (2019), “belach”, in eDIL: Electronic Dictionary of the Irish Language
Wikious
Boobota
Sagapedia