tarbh

Irish

Etymology

From Old Irish tarb, from Proto-Celtic *tarwos (“bull”) (compare Welsh tarw, Cornish tarow, Breton tarv, Gaulish taruos), from Proto-Indo-European *táwros (“bull”) (compare Latin taurus).

Pronunciation

• (Munster) IPA^(key): /ˈt̪ˠɑɾˠəvˠ/
• (Connacht, Ulster) IPA^(key): /ˈt̪ˠaɾˠuː/

Noun

tarbh m (genitive singular tairbh, nominative plural tairbh)

1. bull (adult male bovine)
2. bull (adult male of other large mammal species)

   tarbh róin ― bull seal

Declension

Declension of tarbh (first declension)

bare forms case singular plural nominative tarbh tairbh vocative a thairbh a tharbha genitive tairbh tarbh dative tarbh tairbh forms with the definite article case singular plural nominative an tarbh na tairbh genitive an tairbh na dtarbh dative leis an tarbh don tarbh leis na tairbh

• Alternative plurals:
  • toirbh (Cois Fharraige)
  • tuirbh

Derived terms

• Tarbh m (“Taurus”)
• tarbh sliasta (“thick of thigh, buttock”)
• tarbh tána m (“leader of herd; ringleader”)
• tarbh- (“bull-; bull-like, massive, powerful”)
• tarbh-bhrocaire m (“bull-terrier”)
• tarbhadóir m (“toreador, bullfighter”)
• tarbhán m (“bull-calf; young bull”)
• tarbhchomhrac m (“bullfight; bullfighting”)
• tarbhchomhraiceoir m (“toreador, bullfighter”)
• tarbhdha (“bull-like”, adjective)
• tarbhghadhar m (“bull-dog”)
• tarbhghríosú m (“bull-baiting”)

 

Mutation

Mutated forms of tarbh

radical	lenition	eclipsis
tarbh	tharbh	dtarbh

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) “tarbh”, in Foclóir Gaeilge–Béarla, Dublin: An Gúm, →ISBN
• de Bhaldraithe, Tomás (1959) “tarbh”, in English-Irish Dictionary, An Gúm
• “tarbh”, in New English-Irish Dictionary, Foras na Gaeilge, 2013-2024

Scottish Gaelic

Etymology

From Old Irish tarb, from Proto-Celtic *tarwos (“bull”) (compare Welsh tarw, Cornish tarow, Breton tarv, Gaulish taruos), from Proto-Indo-European *táwros (“bull”) (compare Latin taurus).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): [t̪ʰaɾav]

Noun

tarbh m (genitive singular tairbh, plural tairbh)

1. bull

Derived terms

• An Tarbh (“Taurus”)
• tarbh-allaidh (“buffalo”)
• tarbh-boidhre (“monster, demon”)
• tarbh-chù (“bulldog”)
• tarbh-coille (“dark cloud which when seen on New Year's Day portends a stormy season”)
• tarbh-dallaig (“blue shark”)
• tarbh-mhadadh (“bulldog”)
• tarbh-nathrach (“dragonfly; moth”)
• tarbh-oighre (“bull supposed to serve cows grazing near to lochs in which they are supposed to live”)
• tarbh-réidh (“farm-bull”)
• tarbh-ruagadh (“bull-baiting”)
• tarbh-shìolag (“weever or viperfish”)
• tarbh-tàna (“parish-, district-, or herd-bull, bull which is the property of a district”)
• tàrbh-truid (“furious bull”)
• tarbh-uisge (“water-bull, sea-bull or -cow”)
• tarbhan (“little bull; young bull”, diminutive)

 

Mutation

Mutation of tarbh

radical	lenition
tarbh	tharbh

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

Further reading

• Edward Dwelly (1911) “tarbh”, in Faclair Gàidhlig gu Beurla le Dealbhan [The Illustrated Gaelic–English Dictionary]‎^[1], 10th edition, Edinburgh: Birlinn Limited, →ISBN
• Gregory Toner, Sharon Arbuthnot, Máire Ní Mhaonaigh, Marie-Luise Theuerkauf, Dagmar Wodtko, editors (2019), “tarb”, in eDIL: Electronic Dictionary of the Irish Language