fírinne

Irish

Etymology

From Old Irish fírinne, from fír (“true”) (see fíor).

Pronunciation

• (Waterford, Cork) IPA^(key): /ˈfʲiːɾʲɪɲɪ/
• (Kerry) IPA^(key): /ˈfʲiːɾʲənʲə/
• (Connacht, Ulster) IPA^(key): /ˈfʲiːɾʲən̠ʲə/

Noun

fírinne f (genitive singular fírinne, nominative plural fírinní)

1. truth

Declension

Antonyms

• neamhfhírinne

Derived terms

• buanfhírinne f (“eternal truth”)
• déanta na fírinne (“to tell the truth, as a matter of fact”)

Related terms

• fíor (“true”)

Mutation

References

Further reading

• Ó Dónaill, Niall (1977) “fírinne”, in Foclóir Gaeilge–Béarla, Dublin: An Gúm, →ISBN

Old Irish

Etymology

fírían +‎ -e

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈfʲiːrʲin͈ʲe/

Noun

fírinne f

1. justice, righteousness
   • 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. 55^d11

     Amal du·berad nech hi ceist do Dauid: “Húare is móir sléb fírinne Dǽ, cid ara fodmai-siu, ⟨a⟩ Dauid, didiu a ndu imnedaib ⁊ frithoircnib fodaimi? Air it fírían-⟨s⟩u.” Ícaid-som didiu anísin, a n-as·mbeir iudicia Domini abisus multa .i. ataat mesai Dǽ nephchomtetarrachti amal abis ⁊ amal fudumain. Is ed in sin fod·era in n-erígim, cid ara fodaim int aís fírían inna fochaidi, ⁊ cid ara mbiat in pecthaig isnaib soinmechaib.

     As though someone had put as a question to David: “Because God’s righteousness is as great as a mountain, why then, David, dost thou suffer what of afflictions and injuries thou sufferest? For thou art righteous.” He solves that then when he says “iudicia Domini abyssus multa”, i.e. there are judgments of God incomprehensible like an abyss and like a depth. That is what causes the complaint why the righteous folk endure tribulations, and why sinners are in prosperity.

2. truth

Inflection

Descendants

• Irish: fírinne
• Manx: firriney
• Scottish Gaelic: fìrinne

Mutation

Further reading

• G. Toner, M. Ní Mhaonaigh, S. Arbuthnot, D. Wodtko, M.-L. Theuerkauf, editors (2019), “fírinne”, in eDIL: Electronic Dictionary of the Irish Language