obair

Irish

Etymology

From Old Irish opar, from Latin opera,^[1] from Proto-Indo-European *h₃ep- (“to work”).

Pronunciation

(Munster, Connacht) IPA^(key): /ˈɔbˠəɾʲ/^[2]
(Ulster) IPA^(key): /ˈʌbˠəɾʲ/^[3], /ˈʊbˠəɾʲ/ (as if spelled ubair)^[4]

Noun

obair f (genitive singular oibre, nominative plural oibreacha)

verbal noun of oibrigh
work, labor
Molann an obair an saor. (proverb)
A man may be judged by his achievements.
(literally, “The work commends the craftsman.”)
job, task
business, employment
handiwork

Declension

Declension of obair (second declension)

bare forms
case	singular	plural
nominative	obair	oibreacha
vocative	a obair	a oibreacha
genitive	oibre	oibreacha
dative	obair	oibreacha

forms with the definite article
case	singular	plural
nominative	an obair	na hoibreacha
genitive	na hoibre	na n-oibreacha
dative	leis an obair don obair	leis na hoibreacha

Derived terms

athobair (“repetition of work”)
bileog oibre (“worksheet”)
binse oibre (“work-bench”)
cailín oibre (“work-girl”)
dea-obair (“good work; good deed”)
eitic oibre (“work ethic”)
grúpobair (“group-work”)
obair adhmaid (“woodwork”)
obair chloiche (“stonework, masonry”)
obair ealaíne (“work of art”)
obair ghloine (“glasswork”)
obair láimhe (“handiwork”)
obair lása (“lacework”)
obair leathair (“leatherwork”)
obair phaistí
obair phíosála (“patchwork”)
obair shnáthaide (“stitchery, needlework”)
obair thógála (“construction work”)
obair tí (“housework”)
oibreacha Dé (“the works of God”)
oibreacha poiblí (“public works”)
scríob-obair (“scratch-work”)

Mutation

Mutated forms of *obair*
radical	eclipsis	with h-prothesis	with t-prothesis
obair	n-obair	hobair	not applicable

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

References

^ Gregory Toner, Sharon Arbuthnot, Máire Ní Mhaonaigh, Marie-Luise Theuerkauf, Dagmar Wodtko, editors (2019), “opar, (opair)”, in eDIL: Electronic Dictionary of the Irish Language
^ Sjoestedt, M. L. (1931) Phonétique d’un parler irlandais de Kerry (in French), Paris: Librairie Ernest Leroux, § 125, page 66
^ Quiggin, E. C. (1906) A Dialect of Donegal, Cambridge University Press, § 371, page 126
^ Quiggin, E. C. (1906) A Dialect of Donegal, Cambridge University Press, § 43, page 20

Scottish Gaelic

Etymology

From Old Irish opar, from Latin opera, from Proto-Indo-European *h₃ep- (“to work”).

Pronunciation

(Lewis) IPA^(key): /ˈopəð/^[1]
(Uist, Barra) IPA^(key): /ˈopɪɾʲ/^[2]^[3]
(Wester Ross) IPA^(key): /ˈupɪɾʲ/, /ˈupəɾʲ/, ^[4] (corresponding to the form ubair)

Noun

obair f (genitive singular obrach or oibre, plural obraichean)

work, job
employment
Synonyms: cosnadh, dreuchd

Derived terms

an-obair (“idle work; trifle”)
ath-obair (“work done again”)
blàth-obair (“embroidery, variegated needlework”)
bùth-obrach (“workshop”)
comh-obair (“joint work, the same employment”)
deagh-obair (“good work; good deed”)
droch-obair (“bad work; evil doing, crime; bad job”)
duadh-obair (“hard labour; handicraft”)
grinn-obair (“mechanics; mechanism”)
ionad-obrach (“jobcentre”)
lìon-obair (“net-work; chequer-work”)
main-obair (“handiwork”)
neach-obrach (“worker; employee”)
obair-cheàrdach (“smithy-work”)
obair-cheàrdail (“engine, machinery, work done by machinery”)
obair-chrèadha (“porcelain, china-work, earthenware, delf, pottery”)
obair-chumta (“task”)
obair-dachaigh (“homework”)
obair-dhachaidh
obair-dhìon (“rampart, bulwark”)
obair-ghloine (“glass-work”)
obair-ghréis (“embroidery”)
obair-iarainn (“foundry”)
obair-inntinn (“theory”)
obair-làimhe (“handiwork; work done by hand in contradistinction to that done by machinery”)
obair-lann (“laboratory”)
obair-latha (“day's work”)
obair-lìonain, obair-lìn (“network, chequer-work”)
obair-shlabhraidh (“chain-work”)
obair-taighe (“housework”)
obraiche (“worker, workman, labourer”)
taigh-oibre (“workshop; factory”)

Related terms

obraich (“work, labor; operate”, verb)

Mutation

Mutation of *obair*
radical	eclipsis	with h-prothesis	with t-prothesis
obair	n-obair	h-obair	t-obair

Note: Certain mutated forms of some words can never occur in standard Scottish Gaelic.
All possible mutated forms are displayed for convenience.

obair

Contents

Irish

Etymology

Pronunciation

Noun

Declension

Derived terms

Mutation

References

Further reading

Scottish Gaelic

Etymology

Pronunciation

Noun

Derived terms

Related terms

Mutation

Further reading

Wikious

Boobota

Sagapedia