seanchas

Irish

Alternative forms

• seanchasc (Ulster)
• seanchus (superseded)

Etymology

From Old Irish senchas, senchus (“old tales, ancient history, tradition; genealogy; traditional law”), from senchae (“custodian of tradition, historian”) + -as, -us; senchae is from *seno-kʷoisos (literally “old witness”), from Proto-Celtic *senos (“old”) (from Proto-Indo-European *sénos), plus a derivative of *kʷiseti (“to see”); see ad·cí for more. By surface analysis, seancha (“genealogist, historigrapher”) +‎ -as.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈʃan̪ˠəxəsˠ/, /ˈʃanˠəxəsˠ/
• (Ulster) IPA^(key): /ˈʃanˠəxəsˠk/, /ˈʃan̪ˠəxəsˠk/ (reflecting the spelling seanchasc)

Noun

seanchas m (genitive singular seanchais or seanchasa)

1. the body of historical, genealogical, etc., information that has been handed down by tradition
2. (literary) history, lore, ancient tale (such as a fairy tale), account
   • 1919, First Dáil of Ireland, Message to the Free Nations of the World:

     I gcúrsáibh náisiúntachta, tá deighilt ó bhonn idir Éire agus Sacsa i dtaoibh cineadh is teangan, béas is nós is seanchus.

     Nationally, the race, the language, the customs and traditions of Ireland are radically distinct from the English.

   • 1920, Adam Mickiewicz, translated by Liam Ó Rinn, Leabhar na Polainne (translation of Księgi narodu polskiego i pielgrzymstwa polskiego), p. 93:

     Siniad Leabhar an Náisiúin Pholannaig agus Leabhar na nOilithreach bPolannach, leabhair nár ceapadh, ach a cnósadh a’ leabhraibh seanchuis na Polainne, […]

     Those are the Book of the Polish Nation and the Book of the Polish Pilgrims, books that were not made up, but collected from the books of Polish lore,

3. (literary) ancient law
4. pedigree
5. (act of) storytelling, gossiping; chatting, inquiring about another's health, etc.
   • 1906, “Scéal Ghiolla na gCochall Craicionn”, Téacsanna ó na Gleannta, printed in E. C. Quiggin, A Dialect of Donegal, p. 231:

     Labhair sí leis ⁊ ní robh sé fonnmhar seanchas(c) air bith do dheánadh.

     She spoke to him but he was not willing to do any chatting.

   • 1929, Tomás Ó Criomhthain, An t-Oileánach, page 65:

     Ní h-í an chomhairle sin óm’ mháthair is mó do mhaoluigh me ach bhíos ana-thugtha do sheanchas Thomáis agus thógas de rogha bheith ag éisteacht leis.

     It wasn’t this advice from my mother that moderated me the most, but I was very attached to Tomás’s storytelling, and I made the choice to listen to him.

Declension

Derived terms

• banseanchas (“women’s lore”)
• dinnseanchas (“topography”)
• naomhsheanchas (“hagiography”)

Related terms

• seanchaí (“storyteller”)

Mutation

References

Further reading

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

Scottish Gaelic

Alternative forms

• seanachas

Etymology

From Old Irish senchas, senchus (“old tales, ancient history, tradition; genealogy; traditional law”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈʃɛnəxəs̪/

Noun

seanchas m (genitive singular seanchais, plural seanchasan)

1. lore
2. chat, talk, gossip

   Synonyms: agallamh, còmhradh

Usage notes

• Can be used as a verbal noun:

  Bha iad a' seanchas ri chèile. ― They were talking to each other.

Mutation

References

• Edward Dwelly (1911) “seanchas”, 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), “senchas, senchus”, in eDIL: Electronic Dictionary of the Irish Language