páiste

See also: paiste, pàiste, and päiste

Irish

Etymology

From Classical Gaelic páitse (compare Manx paitçhey, Scottish Gaelic pàisde), from Old French page, from Late Latin pagius (“servant”) (possibly via Italian paggio), probably from Ancient Greek παιδίον (paidíon, “boy, lad”), from παῖς (paîs, “child”); some sources consider this unlikely and suggest instead Latin pagus (“countryside”), in sense of “boy from the rural regions”.

Pronunciation

• (Munster, Connacht) IPA^(key): /ˈpˠɑːʃtʲə/
• (Ulster) IPA^(key): /ˈpˠaːʃtʲə/

Noun

páiste m (genitive singular páiste, nominative plural páistí)

1. child
   • 1894 March, Peadar Mac Fionnlaoigh, “An rí nach robh le fagháil bháis”, in Irisleabhar na Gaedhilge, volume 1:5, Dublin: Gaelic Union, pages 185–88:

     Bhí sé pósta ar sheisear ban i ndiaidh a chéile, acht do mharbhuigh sé alig an tsaoghal iad, ar eagla go mbeidheadh páistídhe ar bith aca.

     He was married to six wives, one after another, but he killed all-in-the-world of them for fear they should have any children at all.

Declension

Declension of páiste (fourth declension)

bare forms case singular plural nominative páiste páistí vocative a pháiste a pháistí genitive páiste páistí dative páiste páistí forms with the definite article case singular plural nominative an páiste na páistí genitive an pháiste na bpáistí dative leis an bpáiste don pháiste leis na páistí

Derived terms

• páistiúil

Mutation

Mutated forms of páiste

radical	lenition	eclipsis
páiste	pháiste	bpáiste

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