bolg

Irish

Etymology

From Old Irish bolg, from Proto-Celtic *bolgos.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈbˠɔl̪ˠəɡ/, /ˈbˠɔlˠəɡ/
• (Aran) IPA^(key): /ˈbˠɔlək/

Noun

bolg m (genitive singular boilg, nominative plural boilg)

1. belly, stomach, abdomen
2. (by extension) bellyful
3. (geology, astronomy, etc.) bulge, broad part, middle (of equator, galaxy, etc.)
4. bag
5. (nautical) hold (of ship)
6. (nautical) bunt, belly (of sail)

Declension

Declension of bolg (first declension)

bare forms case singular plural nominative bolg boilg vocative a bhoilg a bholga genitive boilg bolg dative bolg boilg forms with the definite article case singular plural nominative an bolg na boilg genitive an bhoilg na mbolg dative leis an mbolg don bholg leis na boilg

Derived terms

• ar bholg an chuain (“in the open harbour”)
• ar bholg na sráide (“in the open street”)
• banda boilg (“belly-band”)
• boilg m pl (“bellows”)
• boilg an daorghalair (“haemorrhoids”)
• boilg fola (“glanders”)
• boilg gabha (“smith's bellows”)
• boilg leanna (“waters”)
• bolg bairille (“bilge of barrel”)
• bolg béice (“puff-ball”)
• bolg lampa (“bowl of lamp”)
• bolg le gréin (“sunbathing”)
• bolg loinge (“hold of ship”)
• bolg rite (“distended, full stomach”)
• bolg saighead (“quiver”)
• bolg seoil (“belly of sail”)
• bolg snámha (“air-bladder”)
• bolg soláthair (“corpus, miscellany”)
• bolg stoca (“fat indolent person”)
• bolgach
• cos ar bolg (“oppression”)
• crua sa bholg (“constipated”)
• daigh bhoilg (“stomachache”)
• do bholg a líonadh (“eat one's fill”)
• fead bhoilg (“shrill sound in breathing”)
• i mbolg an tsamhraidh (“during the longest days of the summer”)
• i mbolg na bliana (“during the longest days of the year”)

 

Verb

bolg (present analytic bolgann, future analytic bolgfaidh, verbal noun bolgadh, past participle bolgtha) (transitive, intransitive)

1. bulge
2. blister

Conjugation

conjugation of bolg (first conjugation – A)

		singular			plural			relative	autonomous
		first	second	third	first	second	third
indicative	present	bolgaim	bolgann tú; bolgair†	bolgann sé, sí	bolgaimid	bolgann sibh	bolgann siad; bolgaid†	a bholgann; a bholgas / a mbolgann*	bolgtar
	past	bholg mé; bholgas	bholg tú; bholgais	bholg sé, sí	bholgamar; bholg muid	bholg sibh; bholgabhair	bholg siad; bholgadar	a bholg / ar bholg*	bolgadh
	past habitual	bholgainn / mbolgainn‡‡	bholgtá / mbolgtᇇ	bholgadh sé, sí / mbolgadh sé, s퇇	bholgaimis; bholgadh muid / mbolgaimis‡‡; mbolgadh muid‡‡	bholgadh sibh / mbolgadh sibh‡‡	bholgaidís; bholgadh siad / mbolgaidís‡‡; mbolgadh siad‡‡	a bholgadh / a mbolgadh*	bholgtaí / mbolgta퇇
future		bolgfaidh mé; bolgfad	bolgfaidh tú; bolgfair†	bolgfaidh sé, sí	bolgfaimid; bolgfaidh muid	bolgfaidh sibh	bolgfaidh siad; bolgfaid†	a bholgfaidh; a bholgfas / a mbolgfaidh*	bolgfar
conditional		bholgfainn / mbolgfainn‡‡	bholgfá / mbolgfᇇ	bholgfadh sé, sí / mbolgfadh sé, s퇇	bholgfaimis; bholgfadh muid / mbolgfaimis‡‡; mbolgfadh muid‡‡	bholgfadh sibh / mbolgfadh sibh‡‡	bholgfaidís; bholgfadh siad / mbolgfaidís‡‡; mbolgfadh siad‡‡	a bholgfadh / a mbolgfadh*	bholgfaí / mbolgfa퇇
subjunctive	present	go mbolga mé; go mbolgad†	go mbolga tú; go mbolgair†	go mbolga sé, sí	go mbolgaimid; go mbolga muid	go mbolga sibh	go mbolga siad; go mbolgaid†	—	go mbolgtar
	past	dá mbolgainn	dá mbolgtá	dá mbolgadh sé, sí	dá mbolgaimis; dá mbolgadh muid	dá mbolgadh sibh	dá mbolgaidís; dá mbolgadh siad	—	dá mbolgtaí
imperative		bolgaim	bolg	bolgadh sé, sí	bolgaimis	bolgaigí; bolgaidh†	bolgaidís	—	bolgtar
verbal noun		bolgadh
past participle		bolgtha

* indirect relative
† archaic or dialect form
‡‡ dependent form used with particles that trigger eclipsis

Descendants

• →⇒ Yola: wurgheere (< bhoilg)

Mutation

Mutated forms of bolg

radical	lenition	eclipsis
bolg	bholg	mbolg

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

Further reading

• Ó Dónaill, Niall (1977) “bolg”, in Foclóir Gaeilge–Béarla, Dublin: An Gúm, →ISBN
• de Bhaldraithe, Tomás (1959) “bolg”, in English-Irish Dictionary, An Gúm
• “bolg”, in New English-Irish Dictionary, Foras na Gaeilge, 2013-2025

Manx

Etymology

From Old Irish bolg, from Proto-Celtic *bolgos.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): [bolɡ]

Noun

bolg m (genitive singular bolgey, plural builg)

1. belly, stomach, abdomen, tummy
2. corporation
3. bilge
4. bowl (of lamp)

Derived terms

• bolgagh

Mutation

Manx mutation
Radical	Lenition	Eclipsis
bolg	volg	molg
Note: Some of these forms may be hypothetical. Not every possible mutated form of every word actually occurs.

References

• Gregory Toner, Sharon Arbuthnot, Máire Ní Mhaonaigh, Marie-Luise Theuerkauf, Dagmar Wodtko, editors (2019), “bolg”, in eDIL: Electronic Dictionary of the Irish Language

Old Irish

Alternative forms

• bolc

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /bolɡ/

Etymology 1

From Proto-Celtic *bolgos (“belly”), from Proto-Indo-European *bʰelǵʰ- (“to swell”).

Noun

bolg m (genitive builg, nominative plural builg)

1. belly, stomach
2. bag, satchel
3. bellows

Inflection

Masculine o-stem
	Singular	Dual	Plural
Nominative	bolg	bolgL	builgL
Vocative	builg	bolgL	bolguH
Accusative	bolgN	bolgL	bolguH
Genitive	builgL	bolg	bolgN
Dative	bolgL	bolgaib	bolgaib
Initial mutations of a following adjective: H = triggers aspiration L = triggers lenition N = triggers nasalization

Derived terms

• airbolg

Descendants

• Irish: bolg
  • →⇒ Yola: wurgheere (< bhoilg)
• Manx: bolg
• ⇒ Scottish Gaelic: bolgan
• ⇒ Middle Irish: saigetbolc

Etymology 2

(This etymology is missing or incomplete. Please add to it, or discuss it at the Etymology scriptorium.)

Noun

bolg f (genitive unattested, nominative plural bolga)

1. blister, bubble, puffball
2. bud
3. boss

Inflection

Feminine ā-stem
	Singular	Dual	Plural
Nominative	bolgL	builgL	bolgaH
Vocative	bolgL	builgL	bolgaH
Accusative	builgN	builgL	bolgaH
Genitive	builgeH	bolgL	bolgN
Dative	builgL	bolgaib	bolgaib
Initial mutations of a following adjective: H = triggers aspiration L = triggers lenition N = triggers nasalization

Mutation

Mutation of bolg

radical	lenition	nasalization
bolg	bolg pronounced with /β(ʲ)-/	mbolg

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

References

• Gregory Toner, Sharon Arbuthnot, Máire Ní Mhaonaigh, Marie-Luise Theuerkauf, Dagmar Wodtko, editors (2019), “bolg m”, in eDIL: Electronic Dictionary of the Irish Language
• Gregory Toner, Sharon Arbuthnot, Máire Ní Mhaonaigh, Marie-Luise Theuerkauf, Dagmar Wodtko, editors (2019), “bolg f”, in eDIL: Electronic Dictionary of the Irish Language