aithesc

Old Irish

Etymology

From Proto-Celtic *atisekʷom (compare Welsh ateb), from *ati- + *sekʷeti (“to say”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈaθʲəsk/, [ˈaθʲesk]

Noun

aithesc n

1. answer, reply

   Synonym: frecrae

   • 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. 35^d3

     Is ed in-so a n-aithesc do·rat dia do Dauid.

     This is the answer that God gave to David.

   • 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. 51^b10

     In tan as·mber Dauid “intellectum tibi dabo”, sech is arde són do·mbéra Día do neuch nod·n-eirbea ind ⁊ génas triit con·festar cid as imgabthi do dénum di ulc ⁊ cid as déinti dó di maith. Aithesc trá lesom insin a persin Dǽ.

     When David says, “I will give thee understanding”, that is a sign that God will give to everyone that will trust in him, and work through him, that he may know what evil he must avoid doing, and what good he must do. He has then here a reply in the person of God.

2. message, announcement
   • c. 815-840, “The Monastery of Tallaght”, in Edward J. Gwynn, Walter J. Purton, transl., Proceedings of the Royal Irish Academy, volume 29, Royal Irish Academy, published 1911-1912, paragraph 1, pages 115-179:

     [...]di·choid de muldach Muire ingini iar compert din spirad naob la táscc ind aingil .i. la haithisc.

     ...which came from the head of the Virgin Mary when she conceived [Jesus] via the Holy Spirit at the angel [Gabriel]'s Annunciation, i.e. at [Gabriel's] announcement

Inflection

Neuter o-stem
	Singular	Dual	Plural
Nominative	aithescN	aithescN	aithescL, aithesca
Vocative	aithescN	aithescN	aithescL, aithesca
Accusative	aithescN	aithescN	aithescL, aithesca
Genitive	aithiscL	aithesc	aithescN
Dative	aithescL	aithescaib	aithescaib
Initial mutations of a following adjective: H = triggers aspiration L = triggers lenition N = triggers nasalization

Descendants

• Irish: aitheasc
• Scottish Gaelic: aitheasg

Mutation

Mutation of aithesc

radical	lenition	nasalization
aithesc (pronounced with /h/ in h-prothesis environments)	unchanged	n-aithesc

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

Further reading

• Gregory Toner, Sharon Arbuthnot, Máire Ní Mhaonaigh, Marie-Luise Theuerkauf, Dagmar Wodtko, editors (2019), “aithesc”, in eDIL: Electronic Dictionary of the Irish Language
• Thurneysen, Rudolf (1940) D. A. Binchy and Osborn Bergin, transl., A Grammar of Old Irish, Dublin Institute for Advanced Studies, →ISBN, § 824, page 499; reprinted 2017
• Pedersen, Holger (1913) Vergleichende Grammatik der keltischen Sprachen [Comparative Grammar of the Celtic Languages] (in German), volume II, Göttingen: Vandenhoeck und Ruprecht, →ISBN, § 814 Anm., page 621