Old Irish glossary of difficult words, each entry glossed by (usually fanciful) etymology. Rendered into English; the Irish and Latin headwords and source-forms are retained where they carry the argument.

Letter One — A #

[Codex A, page 1, col. a]

• Adam, i.e. homo or terrigena (‘man’ or “earth-born”).

• Adomnán, i.e. little man.

• Árd, from arduus (high).

• Adradh (worship), from adoratio.

• Asgalt, i.e. a scarifying or tearing open; colt means food.

• Asglann or asglang, i.e. a cleansing off; glann or glang, i.e. clean.

• Arad, i.e. running or driving or “a rad fri á”; á, i.e. every high or every noble, i.e. á, ard (high).

• Adaltrach (adulterer), i.e. from adulterium.

• Adaltair, from adulter.

• Acais (cause), i.e. from causa.

• Altrom (fostering), i.e. from alo (I nourish).

• Aicher (sharp), from acer, i.e. keen or bitter or strong.

• Amfos or anfos, i.e. he who is not at rest but goes from place to place (de loco ad locum).

• Ar, from aro (I plough); cf. airim.

• Anne (circuit), i.e. a round; for the ancients put an for circum, from where annus (year) is said.

• Airches, i.e. from arceo, i.e. because one keeps back or wards off what one casts into it.

• Andseirg, i.e. grievous or sad her love.

• Airged (silver), i.e. quasi airgeinti, from argentum.

• Arco (I pray), i.e. fítiur. Dom dia arco, i.e. I ask pardon; arco niun, i.e. of my God I pray or beg pardon of God or give thanks or ask forgiveness of God after sin. Otherwise arco from arceo, “I keep from God”, i.e. I send a sin-offering to God though I have sinned first.

• Atlochar (I give thanks), i.e. pardon of my God.

• Arseo, i.e. fítirum.

• Asdol, from hastula (little spear), i.e. a splinter or short javelin.

• Ascaid (gift), i.e. shadow; from where asgaete, i.e. valorous or scattered, as the heroes’ onslaught like a shadow or a shade.

• An or am — the Gaelic negative, as nath and annath were got (nert and amnert, ‘strength’ and ‘weakness’).

• Adamra (wondrous), from admiratio.

• Aurdam, i.e. aurdóim, i.e. a fore-house (i.e. an antechamber).

• Almsan (alms), quasi elimsan, from eleemosyna. [Margin: almsan quasi almusson, i.e. for the high sound of the almsgiving.]

• Art — three things it denotes: art, i.e. noble, from where fine airt (or art fine) is said; art, i.e. god, from where is said (of Eochaid Find) fuath nairt, i.e. “the form of god”, i.e. on account of the comeliness of that man. Likewise Cúchulainn is said (after death) to have spoken: domemaidh art uasal, i.e. “the noble god has broken me”. And art, i.e. a stone (or a slab for a grave, whose diminutive is arteine, i.e. little stone), from where or from there said Guaire of Aidne: dochelit mor námra indairtine bede forlige Marcáin maic Áeda maic Marceine — “the great noble stone conceals the place of rest of Marcán son of Áed son of Marcán”.

• Arg — three things it denotes: arg, i.e. milk, from where ruarc is said, i.e. “very milky”, i.e. a great dropping of rain; arg also, i.e. a hero, from where argda (i.e. hero-like) is said, whose wife is argeind; argeind then, i.e. a woman for a hero, i.e. for a warrior — fitting for her (and good for him); or argcain (i.e. is arg, i.e. a hero) i.e. a woman for him. Arg also means conspicuous, from where airchedul (i.e. arg-cetul), i.e. a conspicuous singing because it is so often sung; and it is also called “the song of the hero”, for only heroes make it.

• Ab, from papas or from the Hebrew name abba (that is, father).

• Athair (father) — this was originally ater, as it were pater.

• Alt (height), from altitudo.

• Ana, i.e. the mother of the gods of the Irish — a good mother who fed the gods; from her name anae, i.e. abundance (and…), are named the Two Paps of Ana (Dá Chích Anann) beyond Luachair, as they fabled (or as is said). Or ana from Greek annio or aniud, which means dainties.

• Anruth — the name of the second grade of poets.

• Amrath, i.e. nem-rath, i.e. no grace is got from it afterwards, for it is after death that it is made for a man. Otherwise bidomus [margin: or bidammós], i.e. death (anam is from the same as amós); amrath then is death-grace — grace given after death by the household of him for whom the funeral-feast is made. But this last I do not much praise.

• Aedh, i.e. fire. Tria impúd in-anmma: Aed dea, i.e. the goddess of fire, for she is Vesta, i.e. goddess of fire, and because they fabled (or it is said) that that Vesta is the goddess of fire — Vesta herself is called fire, i.e. aed.

• Amnas, quasi amnes, from amnestia, i.e. wholly (or all or entirely) forgetting.

• Aursa (door-post), i.e. a support — because the house rests upon it. [Margin: otherwise aursa, i.e. or sin, i.e. a prop against a house there.]

• Aiditiu, i.e. ait-detiu, i.e. again after the full (drinking) of another first.

• Anart (linen), i.e. in-irt, i.e. the linen of death. As said Morann mac Main (i.e. as was got into the saying of Morann mac Main): dath don dig hirt, i.e. for a death-drink. Anart then, i.e. of death on account of it; it is like a winding-sheet, for there is blood (nothing red) in it — as though dead bloodless.

• Audacht (a will/testament), i.e. úath-fecht, i.e. when a man goes on a journey of death (or of doom), i.e. of death.

• Anomain, i.e. the name of a metrical composition, i.e. án-somain (i.e. the name of the composition for its good-fortune), i.e. throughout its course and its grade; and it is the poem of the ollamh (chief poet). From where is said inloing anoman ollam.

• Anruth (i.e. the name of the second grade of poets), i.e. sruth án, for no reproaches from him — with a stream of treasure to him on that account.

• Anair, i.e. the name of a metrical composition. It is what the cli makes, i.e. anáir, nothing but its praise. Even so from every … of praise — it belongs to the art of poetry, for it is the laying-down of the poets: they judged names for the compositions and a designation for them, and it did not occur to them.

• Anforbracht, i.e. the name of a man who is wasted and smitten with disease so that he cannot suck with his mouth; for bracht is a name for the mouth.

• Adart (pillow), i.e. (quasi) ad-irt, i.e. two deaths, for sleep is likened to death; and it is also the name of the linen of death and of sleep. [Adae then] is the name for the pillow, and it is a sign of sleep. From where is said descaid chodulta freslige.

• Adart (as athard), i.e. for it is higher than other…

• Airse (i.e. of a head), i.e. ar-auí, for from the east the… Aire then for every height is the name.

• Aithle, i.e. ath-fola; it is worse than the blood.

• Axal or Axail, from auxilium — the help which angels give to men.

• Arathar (plough), from aratrum.

• Ana, i.e. the little vessels that used to be on the spits in the royal banquets. From where is said damaid ána for lindib; and they used to be of silver — often, as Mac dá Cherda said over Cnocc Rafand:

  Inráith morsa forsnamfil / ambid tibran fo án gil / babínd gáir choille loinche / umráith Fiachach maic Moinche.

  For drinking, for the wearied men out of them — they used to be put on the spits, and of silver they put them on, to prove…

• Athgabáil — the name of the three first cows that Asal seized from Mug mac Nuadat. Athgabáil then, because each seized…; athgabáil then, i.e. the six cows the next day. Read the Fenchus Már.

• Aithech, i.e. áith and ech, i.e. a sharp enemy. Aithech then, a sharp enemy; it is a name for nothing but a good warrior.

• Aithches — his wife, as laiches from laicus.

• Aunasc (i.e. nasc aue), i.e. a gold ring that used to be around the necks or arms of the sons of nobles.

• Aighean, i.e. óg-faen like a flat stone.

• Aitteand, i.e. aith-theand, but (or rather) it is sharp and hard. From where said mac Samain:

  Ni hinmain íid furigin / fil hitaeban torigin / romráin cobrath adhuille / nim aincend a fidruinne.

• Aurduine, i.e. at the doors of the men the craftsmen used to work.

• Airber, i.e. against the east — unless it be carried by two hands, for from the west it is brought for… Air then for every east, as is Airmhuma (East Munster), i.e. ir every thing that is east of it, as is Irmuma, i.e. Munster that is east… And as is said Ara airther, for there are the three Aras there — Ara airther nearest to Ireland, Ara irther west of it, west of Ireland.

• Aine, from the name of Áine daughter of Eogabal.

• Abarta, i.e. the seventh [day] on which a man is taken in the abartain. That is the lawful abartain. For it is only for saying that a man brings… unless he had gone before — but a saying to one another until I take the abartain. For co-helping (or for cobele) it is given.

• Ailges, i.e. the prohibition of asking. For it is only for asking that it is given, and not for its praise — unless it be the price of honour of him to whom the ailges (that is the lawful ailges) is addressed.

• Athabh… quasi bath, i.e. death.

• Aimind, from amoenus (pleasant).

• Airchindech (superior), i.e. archennach; archos (ἀρχός) in Greek is said in Latin excelsus. Airchindech then, i.e. a noble head.

• Anibuae, i.e. without substance; buae then for every substantial thing.

• Adae, i.e. ad dee, i.e. due to God.

• Altan, i.e. a hot cliff, if it occur.

• Adand, i.e. aenhitharna, as the poet [said]:

  Hitharna mad diatecma hitlithadba / ar dia niradluathadna / arluathlabra nitharba.

  As said Colmán mac Léinín:

  Luin hocelaib uinge hocdírnai / crotha banaithech occrothaib rignai / rig hocDomnall dord ocaibsi / adand occainnill colg acmochoilgsi.

• A, i.e. a… or a cart or a chariot. Item: Fer Muman heard from certain rustics in the northern part, as they said:

  Innéssar dam thá / tó mana mó mo a / árataire mo a mó / maini má do á tó.

• Aitire (surety), i.e. iter adé, i.e. a going to the creditor.

• Aingel (angel), i.e. angelus, i.e. a good messenger, i.e. a good messenger. From where the Irish say aingel solas, i.e. sunny, i.e. joyful.

• Aigrere, i.e. aige rere, i.e. a judge.

• Aighne, i.e. a man of litigation — aí, i.e. a lawsuit or a cause.

• Airndel, i.e. air indeal, i.e. an eminent shape…

• Aithinne (firebrand), i.e. [áith-téne or aithle] of fire.

• Apstal (apostle), i.e. from postulo, i.e. ad Dominum postulo, i.e. I send to.

• Ainder (a woman), i.e. bean, i.e. not der, not a girl; for der means daughter or virgin.

• Anidan, i.e. an fó diultad; idan however, i.e. hidon, from idoneus, i.e. trusty.

• Adba othnoe, i.e. a dwelling of awe and of stone (or of iron); uath is clay and ond is stone, i.e. a dwelling of clay and stone. As was said:

  Tóé inlia lith rolass / iarsrethaib suad issenchass / issed hond iarnaignead ail / inchloch issí iarrastair.

• Aigillne, i.e. áugo gillnae, i.e. the… of the man — the pledged goods to another, i.e. the price of his honour for taking a pledge from him; it is augo to him, then gillnae to the…, and the taking of the pledge from him as the end. Though it be owed to him, the taking of a pledge from another man avails not, save the taking from the man who gives the pledged goods. Though the pledge be taken by right from the… of the lords, aigille is the name for the…, and that is improper; properly, however, aigille is said of the men who take pledged goods without selling them beforehand for service…

Letter Two — B #

• Bendacht (blessing), quasi benedicht, from benedictio.

• Buanann — the foster-mother of the fían; i.e. be Anann, from their likeness: as Anu was mother of the gods, so Buanann was mother of the fían, i.e. a good mother. [Otherwise Buanand]: am buan, i.e. it is bón, i.e. of the good, which is bonum; as is said genither buan o ambuan, i.e. good from evil. The an in Buanand (who is mother) is the same as is in Anu, i.e. mother of the gods. Buanand then, i.e. the good mother who taught feats of arms to the fían.

• Bran (a raven). From where branda, i.e. raven-like, very black, and…; and brandub, i.e. a black raven. From where branorgain is said for it — i.e. a raven’s destruction, that is branorgain.

• Beist, i.e. from bestia.

• Bárc, i.e. from barca.

• Bés, i.e. from besus, i.e. custom.

• Breth (judgement), i.e. a judgement; for it is a judgement of something else — the judgement that someone else bore before.

• Brath (doom), i.e. com-brec then of what is braut, i.e. the judge. It is from the judge then that the old name for that day — of the Doom, i.e. of Jesus Christ — comes.

• Brathair (brother), quasi fratair, for frater was corrupted in it. Frater quasi frauter, because he thrice defrauds — father and mother and brother.

• Bachall (crozier), quasi bacul, i.e. from baculus. Or bachall, as the poet says:

  Iath ainm dochlug conafaéid / nocochelad inglangaith / bach buain inadhorus tall / bricht ocus bacc isbachall.

• Bádudh (drowning), i.e. from bath, i.e. the sea.

• Baten, i.e. bath aitin, i.e. sudden death, i.e. a murrain of… alone. For bath when it is a plague is what bas denotes.

• Baircne, i.e. a ship of the Boyne, for it was in a ship it was brought.

• Babluan, i.e. the name of a woman — quasi Babylon, i.e. confusion, i.e. the mingling of the one language outside in Shinar among the many languages.

• Babloir, i.e. a name for Patrick.

• Bab — an interjection of magnifying, from the name bainb of Bres mac Elathan, for there was not in Ireland a pig more grateful. Babgither (or Bóbgither) then was its name.

• Brossnai, i.e. brissni — that of the twigs and the small breakage of wood, because it is broken with the hand and no axe is taken to it.

• Boll, quasi bull, from bulla, i.e. a bubble of water.

• Biror (watercress), i.e. bir a well or stream; or i.e. hair. Biror then, the hair of wells or streams.

• Belltaine (May-day), i.e. bil-tene, i.e. lucky fire, i.e. two fires which the druids used to make with great incantations (or with…), and they used to drive the cattle between them against the plagues every year to those fires. [Left margin: they used to drive the cattle between them.]

• Braccille — bracc, i.e. hand, and cáil, a keeping — i.e. a glove.

• Brócoit, i.e. a mixture. Braccat then is what the Britons call it; bracc is a name for malt. Braccat however is a special liquor, i.e. a liquor of…; brócoit, i.e. a special liquor made of malt.

• Binit, i.e. benait, i.e. he strikes it so that it is thick and so that it is fitting.

• Braracht, i.e. birth, i.e. partus.

• Biáil (axe), i.e. bith-ail, i.e. ever sharp.

• Barad, i.e. death.

• Bomlacht, i.e. bó and lacht (cow and milk).

• Buachail (cowherd), i.e. cail and keeper of the cows.

• Buarach (cow-fetter), i.e. bó and árach, i.e. a fetter. Buarach then for the morning milking-time, i.e. early morning; from where fescor imbuarach is said.

• Basc, i.e. everything red. Basc then when it is for a chain (or for a bond) of captives is the name, and for the dragon-chains it is proper. Basc, i.e. everything red.

• Brisc, i.e. from priscus, for it is ancient — everything old and ancient.

• Bó (cow) — a name made from the sound of its voice.

• Bobaith, i.e. bó-bath; bath, i.e. death.… in the river Bóar.

• Bolg-belchi, i.e. bél-chico, i.e. mist that comes out of the mouth.

• Berit, i.e. berith, i.e. they bear.

• Blind, i.e. dead brine, from where bás blinnach is said. Blindauga is ‘blind’ in the tongue of the Gauls.

• Benntraige, i.e. binit-rige, i.e. of the milk(?)-dued owed to the king of Cashel by them. Or from Benta their father.

• Bóge, i.e. the name of a special cauldron that was made by the craftsmen. This is the shape it had: nine chains out of it, and it was not bigger than the head of a large…; a brefe then on the end of each chain, and nine craftsmen standing about it chanting, each man through the brefe of the chain nearest to him. And he who then gave a gift to them, into this cauldron he used to put it. From where coire sainnte (the special cauldron) is said. It is also the name of the cauldron’s due — the bretnasc of twelve ounces of white gold.

• Bóge then is the name of a little drinking-cup that used to be five ounces of gold; it used to be for drinking the special liquor out of it, and it used to be for the poet’s reward, i.e. for the ollamh. From where is said in the Bretha Nemid: ballan baisse boge — a five-ounce cup of white gold.

• Briar, i.e. a goad of gold (i.e. of gold), as is in the Bretha Nemid: briar delg nuinge.

• Bráthchsei, i.e. breth-cheo aéi. Otherwise, what is truer: Caei Caenbrethach, foster-son of Fenius Farsaidh. He it was, that disciple, who reached the sons of Israel to learn Hebrew, and he was the judge with the expedition of the sons of Míl. Therefore he is called Caei Caenbrethach (“of the fair judgements”), because he used to give judgements of law; and therefore it is commemorated in the language: whenever a kingless people is in the territories, it is bráth-chaei they make over them for guarantee; but if there be a king, that is more lawful as it is good with him.

• Bruinech, i.e. a mother, for infants are fed on her breasts, i.e. she is…

• Bálb, from balbus (stammering).

• Bót, i.e. fire. From where is said in the names: cetharreich bot áne hui Luigdech loisces.

• Buas, i.e. so-as, a poetic word, i.e.… because it goes into… after buas; from where barr buaisse is said.

• Bri — every power (or every strong thing), as is in the Bretha Nemid: briamon smethraige, i.e. the name of the hallowing that poets make over one who swears…: he rubs the… of the man between his two fingers and looks at the man about the hallowing — for as the man outside is related to this member, so this man is related to the men outside; as this member is soft and…, so is this man more than other members.

• Brigit, i.e. a poetess, the daughter of the Dagda. That is Brigit the woman-poet (or the woman of poetry), i.e. Brigit the goddess whom the poets used to worship, for very great and very splendid was her service. Therefore they call her the goddess of poets by this name — whose sisters were Brigit the woman of law and Brigit the woman of smithwork, i.e. the goddesses — the three daughters of the Dagda are these. From their names nearly all the Irish used to call the goddess Brigit. Brigit then, i.e. breo-aigit or breo-saigit (“fiery arrow”).

• Bec (small), quasi ecec ebreidi.

• Bidba (a culprit’s death), in Greek bitheumatur, i.e. twice dead — he suffered death twice.

• Bil, i.e. from Bial, i.e. the idol-god. From where beltine, i.e. the fire of Bil.

• Baire, in Greek [βαρύς] — baronntes, “the strong” they are called. Or baire, i.e. roaring.

• Bind, i.e. from pindrus [cf. κινύρα?], i.e. for the harp.

• Brinda, i.e. from the verb frendo, i.e. for unsteady speech, or from brutus, brutish talk.

Letter Three — C #

• Cormac, i.e. corb-mac, i.e. corb a chariot. Corbmac then is “son of a chariot”. To Cormac the she-wolf of the Leinstermen first spoke(?), for it was in a chariot that he was born. That then is the proper orthography of the name — corbmac, i.e. with a b in the declension (ending) of the name Cormac, i.e. it is written b as Corbmac.

• Coirbre, quasi coirbreo, or Coirbre quasi corbaire, i.e. cuirbperi or charioteers of a chariot.

• Cathal, i.e. com-brec that is cat-ell: cat then in the fight is cath in Irish, and ell is ail (a rock). Cathal then, i.e. the rock of battle.

• Cob, i.e. victory.

• Cobthach, i.e. victorious.

• Clithar sét — others say it is the name of a cow in milk, because it conceals her calf — which is not true; but truer or otherwise: clithar sét, i.e. a kingly treasure, for it is a name for a king in the Dúil Feda Máir — the thing which is clithar and which is… (or is its colour) of… A sét gábla then is the least, i.e. a bull-calf and a heifer, or a heifer-calf and a bullock; a yearling bullock is the second sét; a milch-cow or an ox about a plough is the third sét, and that is the royal sét. And this is how they are conferred in the judgement of Caei Caenbrethach: every three sét gábla [a yearling], another a milch-cow or an ox about a plough, another… upon them also, up to the number of the plough-teams. And those are the treasures in help, as is said in the canon of Patrick [margin: for each of those is half an ounce].

• Cruimther, i.e. the Gaelic of presbyter: premter is a shortening of it, and prem in the shortening is cruimm in Gaelic; and it is not a proper translation of presbyter into cruimthir. For a translation of it — of premter — is the right thing. The Britons who were in Patrick’s company at the preaching are those who translated it, and it is they who translated primter, and afterwards the learned of the Britons liked it — that is, as the worm is bare, so should a priest be bare of sin and (not naked) of the world, and the like, according to him who said ego sum vermis and the rest.

• Cercenn, i.e. a circuit of…, i.e. from circinus, i.e. compasses.

• Cloch — three names it has: lee in the last language; cloch in the common speech; cloech in the technical speech — i.e. because it… every treasure (or thing) and the like.

• Cross, quasi crux.

• Corp, from corpus.

• Creatra, from creatura.

• Cáithigud, i.e. a setting against the…; the likeness and comparison of a man to… for its fittingness and its interference.

• Coech (blind of an eye), i.e. from caecus, quasi coech.

• Cerbsire, i.e. scóaire, i.e. from cervisia (ale).

• Cúma, from communis; from where is cuma lium is said, i.e. it is equal to me whichever of them.

• Comla (a door-leaf), i.e. comlúd, i.e.… it moves up and down.

• Cucenn (kitchen), from cucina.

• Coic (cook), from coquus.

• Cáinte (a satirist), i.e. canis, a hound, for he is a dog’s head who satirises at the…, and it is the same thing they do.

• Cich (a breast), i.e. Greek χῖχις — a herb from which… comes.

• Cimas (march/border), i.e. from cinuna, i.e. the going-round of woods.

• Cín membruimm, i.e. [from quinque], for there are five sins that are due to be in it.

• Cimba, quasi cymba (a boat).

• Comus, i.e. from compos, ‘powerful’.

• Cái and ciniuud, i.e. Greek cinod, “lamentation”.

• Conair, i.e. cái gen…

• Crand (a tree), i.e. cré…

• Cómla, i.e. cóm-luath, i.e. equal its speed up and down.

• Cuicend, i.e. from cucina.

• Coic, from coquus.

• Croicend (a hide), i.e. croc find; the name for a summerling calf-hide, its opposite being gamen, i.e. winter-hide — for it is its… because it is killed in winter; a common name for both is seche, i.e. a hide when it is on the wall.

• Caile, i.e. the name of a nun for watching a house, i.e. cail coimet.

• Capall (a horse), i.e. cap carr and pell ech; from capall, chariot and horse, is the name.

• Catt (cat), from cattus.

• Cretir, i.e. creatura (i.e. a creature alone).

• Cathasach, i.e. cath fessach; fes… the young in their battle-grip together; cath-feis then — cath and fes (or fer) is the custom therein.

• Cathlac, from catholicus, i.e. universal.

• Cruthnecht (wheat), i.e. cruth every strong and every red thing; necht every clean thing — i.e. because wheat is red and clean.

• Catar, from the Four Books.

• Culpait, i.e. cail-fuit, i.e. cail keeping and fuit cold: a keeping against cold.

• Cosmail (like), i.e. cosamail (i.e. com-samail).

• Coairt, i.e. coir a fhirt dochur — the proper putting of a grave.

• Caisel (Cashel), i.e. from casula, or cis ail, i.e. the tribute that used to be brought by the men of Ireland to that place; or ail chise, i.e. very stony; caisel from casula.

• Clerech (a clerk), from clericus.

• Cocul (a cowl), quasi cucull, from cuculla, as is: Nunc retinet summum sola cuculla locum. Or co-cael, as the Irish say: for broad its top and narrow its bottom up to its top (or to its head). But better in the first place.

• Circul, i.e. from circulus.

• Cicul, i.e. Greek κύκλος, ‘orbis’ in Latin. “It is a cycle for us,” says the man, as though he had said “it is a deceitful round for us”.

• Caimmse, i.e. the name of a shirt, i.e. from camisia, a woman’s shift.

• Cemeas, i.e. a woman of…

• Callaid (clever), from callidus.

• Caisc (Easter), quasi pasc, i.e. from pascha.

• Cride (heart), i.e. crith-de, i.e. from the trembling on which it is.

• Cingciges, i.e. quinquagesis, i.e. the fiftieth day from Easter — the fiftieth day from Easter.

• Coiméit, i.e. equal its greatness and that which it keeps.

• Comáin (common), i.e. cumma máine, i.e. equal shares to one another.

• Cingit, i.e. cuingit, i.e. equal weight of its foot and its head, as though it were on a middle yoke — it casts its two strides.

• Clíi (a house-post; also a poet’s grade), i.e. for its likeness to the post of a house it was said — that is the custom of the cliad (or of the clet): it is strong at the floor and slender at the ridge-beam, it is straight, well-fashioned. So is the clí among the poets: strong is his course in his own lands, slight in foreign lands — as the post is suited in the house, from floor to ridge-beam, so is suited the precedence of this grade called clíi, the thing that is in the house; it is fashioned by him from that which is nobler: it is straight in its bold customs (from anruth to foclach — as the clí is in the house, so he fashions it from what is nobler).

• Cana — the name of a poet’s grade, i.e. cantaid (‘singer’), because he sings the order of his craft before kings and peoples; as he himself is ádmoll, i.e. a great praiser, for it is a warm stream for praising and for tale-telling (even) before the poets’ grades.

• Corpte, i.e. corrupte (or corruptum), i.e. corrupted.

• Claire, i.e. Clíu Arae, i.e. Aru or Are and the summit of Sliab Cliach.

• Crúu, i.e. from cruor (blood).

• Class, i.e. from classis.

• Caindelbra (candlestick), quasi chaindel forrae or can then with us, i.e. a candle on it.

• Caill crinmon — i.e. creth-mon: creth, i.e.…, and mon, i.e. a trick. Caill crinmon, i.e. a veil out of which a new trick is plucked (or from which a new trick is broken off).

• Canóin (canon), i.e. (quasi) cáin ón, for it is cáin (a rule) and it is… that it names.

• Castoit (chastity), from castitas.

• Cartoit (charity), from caritas.

• Ceal (heaven), i.e. the sky; from where is said gar cian cotís forceal, i.e. upon the sky.

• Celebrad (celebration), i.e. from celebro, i.e. I magnify. Celebrad then, i.e. I magnify the mention of God’s name.

• Cúis (a cause), from causa, quasi caus. From where is said ní archuis na miscuisne, i.e. not for a cause against anyone.

• Colba, i.e. coelfí, i.e. coel-fithi or coelbthi, i.e. coel-aefi.

• Coll (hazel), from collus.

• Crontsaile, i.e. róntsaile, i.e. rigent-saile. Crontsaile then, i.e. grant-sele: grant is every grey or speckled thing; from where is said fésóc grennach findfad liath. [Margin: grantsaile, i.e. everything grey or blue-grey or hard.]

• Cetsoman (first summer), i.e. cet-sámsin, i.e. the first… of summer.

• Caid (holy), i.e. cadeis in Greek — it is sanctum in Latin. From where is said caid cach rét co canóni comuaim (“holy is everything according to the canon of union”). [This is corrupt and unintelligible in the Academy MS.]

• Coibsena (confession), i.e. confessiones (i.e. com-faesame).

• Cobais (conscience), i.e. com-ais, i.e. com-faisitiu.

• Corn (a drinking-horn), i.e. from cornu.

• Callaid, from callidus.

• Cearn, i.e. victory. From where is said Conall Cernach, i.e. the victorious one.

• Cerníne, i.e. dishes. As said Coirpre mac Etnai the poet: cen cholt for crip cerníne, i.e. there came no food on dishes (or on our dishes) with the son of Elathan (i.e. Bres).

• Cermnas, i.e. speckled and choice, quasi cermain feiss, i.e. knowledge and art of cermain. From where is said in the saying of Echach cennach cermnas.

• Ceithern (a band), i.e. caire amide. From where cethernach is said. Ceithern, i.e. cath and orn — battle and slaughter.

• Caplat, i.e. the name of the washing of the head at Easter, i.e. quasi capitilavium (head-washing), i.e. because everyone is tonsured then and their heads are washed in preparation for their (fasting?) in Easter.

• Cendla then (i.e. coena-lae) — it is not said from caput but from the Lord’s Supper, i.e. coena-lae, i.e. the day of the feast of Christ and His apostles about it.

• Cerchaill (a pillow), i.e. ciar-chail: ciar a keeping, or from cervical. Or the cer in it is from cervus, i.e. a wild ox, and it is from its hide (or its skin) that a covering about the neck is made, and from that keeping is the name cail [margin: comet is the name also for everything] and for every other keeping. Otherwise it was named from cervix.

• Cendaid (tame), i.e. cen-fid, i.e. it was reared without wood; or it is tame — it does not go under wood or under wilderness. Its contrary is allaid (wild), i.e. all-fid, i.e.… in wood and wilderness.

• Cuil (a fly), i.e. from culex in Latin.

• Coic (a secret), i.e. a hidden thing. As Nédi mac Adnai [said]: Ni chualai coic nuin olme gaiar gáir.

• Cartit, i.e. a nail — the Britons’ word, i.e. a nail on which its foot is put.

• Coth (food), i.e. nourishment; cothud, i.e. coemna — from where Maelcothaid is said, i.e. mael-coemna. [Margin: from where is in the Colloquy of the Two Sages: for rem cothaid and for rem caemna.]

• Cim (tribute), i.e. silver, i.e. from the silver that used to be given as tribute to the Fomorians its naming was got. Cím then is a name for every tribute from that time forth — though it was of silver it was named first, because so often and so much of it was given to the Fomorians; from where is said in the Bretha Nemid: Cimb uim olasnuim í puincerni puinc.

• Coiceng, i.e. com-chuing, equal and right for each side (for each of them).

• Coing, i.e. com-ching.

• Coimmess, i.e. com-chomus on each side.

• Cumlachtaig, i.e. a piglet of a sow — when it goes… its mother goes with it for milk, as it were cum lacte ambulans (walking with milk). From where cumlachtach is said of a man, i.e. a milk-drinking, kindly… who gives something to everyone; so the sow bestows her milk on her piglet.

• Clairiu, i.e. a division. From there is leniud clairend, i.e. a continuation of sharing and dividing.

• Crufhechta, i.e. a badb (scald-crow) or bódb (war-fury).

• Cul, i.e. a chariot. As said Cúchulainn:

  Cul carpait ba cruaid in mod / hi tegind re Conchobor / ocus Néit ba hainin donkath / dobrisind ria mac Cathbad.

  Cul (i.e. a chariot), from where is culgaire.

• Cupar, i.e.…

• Culian, i.e. cuilén, i.e. a hound that follows each.

• Coinfodorne, i.e. dobar-choin, i.e. fodobarnai, i.e. water-hounds (otters). Dobar is a common name (in language) between Irish and Welsh; dobur, i.e. water, from where dobarcú is said; and dobreth doborci is in Welsh.

• Caise (cheese), from caseus. From there Virgil: Pinguis et ingrate premeretur caseus urbi.

• Cairt (a charter), from carta; for carta is that in which no writer has yet written… Carta then, i.e. memrum (i.e. it is a name for parchment).

• Crumduma, i.e. a dunghill. From where is said cin chon crumduma (i.e. a dunghill).

• Cerball, i.e. cerr-bél, from bél… Cerrball then, i.e. cer focher — he cast a limb, or bell from bellum, ‘war’; Corrchathach then from cerball. Hence the poet:

  Sithbe Cerball for a chuairt / nibdar dermaill a dí dhóit / focher Cormac mor in bét / noe fichit cét cufochóic.

• Ceal, i.e. heaven.

• Ceal, i.e. death and everything terrible.

• Cil, i.e. crooked (or every crooked thing); from where lethchil.

• Castoit, from castus.

• Cartoit, i.e.… the name for a turn of love (or for love).

• Cloind, i.e. from cloides, every injustice.

• Cicht, i.e.…

• Culmaire, i.e. a charioteer.

• Cuisnit, i.e. cosnait, i.e. a contending of assemblies or the foot of the assemblies on which the assembly rests. It is… and rare it goes [margin: or it goes] and it is on it it rests (or stands; of it is the slowness of the assemblies).

• Colomna air or ais or áisse, i.e. the ages, i.e. infancy, boyhood, youth, manhood, old age, decrepitude (or dimligdetu). [Margin: colomna ais — amsera.]

• Coire (a cauldron), i.e. cói úire: úr is every…, i.e. flesh of man.

• Coire Brecain — the name of a great whirlpool that is between Ireland and Scotland to the north, at the meeting of the several seas — the sea that surrounds Ireland on the north-east, and the sea that surrounds Scotland on the north-west, and the sea on the south between Ireland and Scotland. It casts up in its course, after the likeness of a rapid, each of the two seas; it is dashed down under it as it were a (gathering) — so that it settles below in the deep, so that it is in a cauldron of mouths, and it would draw even all Ireland into its gullet. Then that spray rushes up so that its thunderous bursting and its crashing (i.e. its breaking and its roaring among the clouds) is heard — it was like the boiling of a cauldron that is on a fire. Now Brecán son of Maine, son of Níall of the Nine Hostages — his was the currach trading between Ireland and Scotland until it foundered once in that whirlpool, so that not even its hull or wreckage came out of it, nor was the fate known until Lugaid the blind poet came to Bangor. His people went to the strand of Inver Bec and found a bare little skull there; they brought it with them to Lugaid and asked him whose it was, and he said to them (and he asked whose head, and he said to them): “Put the end of the poet’s wand upon it.” That was done, and Lugaid the poet said: “…of the water of the deep, for Brecán perished by water or a whirlpool. This is the head of Brecán’s dog, and it is little of a great thing,” he said, “for Brecán was drowned with his people in that whirlpool,” etc.

• Cumal (a bondmaid), i.e. cum mola — a woman who is grinding quern, for it is the work of bondwomen before mills were made.

• Crapscuil, i.e. crepuscul, from crepusculum, i.e. doubtful light — a name for evening. As said Colmán mac Léinín: Robo tánaise triuin crepscuil cerd promad intí Pétair apstail.

• Cadut, i.e. every…, from cotis, i.e. a stone, i.e. from… they smear(?)…

• Ceinticul (a blanket) — i.e. a corruption in it: cenical is what it is called by the Britons, i.e. of wool they make a skin. From where is said darónais cennticul de, etc.

• Ceticol, i.e. céit cocnam; ticol, i.e.…

• Coicedul, i.e. com-chetul — a singing together.

• Cuisil (counsel), i.e. com-brec and Latin is corrupted in it — quasi consil, from consilium. From where is said is as no ar dochuisil darónad.

Letter Four — D #

• Domnall, i.e. doman-nuall, i.e. the shout of the world from him; or Domnall, i.e. doman-uaill (or nuall), i.e. the pride of the world from him.

• Diairmait, i.e. dí-airmith — there is no restraint (i.e. no prohibition) on him.

• Duthcern, i.e. dí-shuithcern: ni suith-cern, i.e. not famous, i.e. not renowned.

• Diss, i.e. from dispectus, i.e. contemptible.

• Denmne, i.e. dí-ainmne, i.e. a negation, i.e. without patience.

• Discreit, i.e. discretus locus.

• Dotchaid (a wretch), i.e. díth-acaid.

• Diumsach (a proud man), i.e. di-amusach — he gives no hireling for it but only his boasting.

• Díuthach (or diutann) — the name of the pain that is begotten of the chafing of the two thighs in walking.

• Dál (an assembly/division), i.e. a portion. From there is said Dál Riata and Dál nAraide.

• Dabach (a vat), i.e. déh-oach, i.e. two eyes on it — for there used to be… at first.

• Doman (the world), i.e. déoinan, i.e. a terror of death and of hell. Doman, i.e. dí-máin for its transitoriness; doman, i.e. de-man for its lust; Doman, i.e. de-máin, i.e. two treasures — heaven and earth — are got through it.

• Díre (honour-price), i.e. dí-aire (or digal-re, i.e. a retribution from the… on account of their nobility) to the… on account of their nobility.

• Digal (vengeance), i.e. nem-gal, i.e. not the valour of each to whom vengeance is done — its penalty. Otherwise diagal, i.e. a reproof by one party and a lament by the other party. Diagal then, i.e. dé-gul (two cries).

• Die (a day), i.e. lathi. From there is said olc die, i.e. an evil day. Die then is from dies, for the Gentiles named the days from the gods, as is dies Jovis, dies Veneris. Die damh cóine, as Colmán mac húi Cluasaig said:

  Ni maith cride cen chie / marb teind coch be a die / mac róemdhatar iar Chu / iarndie baCmiiminíu (i.e. fota).

• Dethbir (unbecoming), i.e. dí aithbir. Dethbir then, i.e. di-athbir, i.e. di… bir for a word, i.e. it is not a word of battle for him.

• Dinim (a dumb man), i.e. dis-nim desin, i.e. there is no speech in him.

• Dásocht (madness), i.e. dí-socht — it is not in silence; or dasocht, i.e. dí osacht: it is not at rest but goes from place to place in speech and utterance.

• Doss, i.e. the name of a poet’s grade — from its likeness to a doss (bush): it is doss the second year of the fochloc, i.e. four leaves upon it; four (leaves) for the doss on the north side.

• Dibixrdud, i.e. dibru saitud (i.e. diubru aitiudh), i.e. the ending of… that is, a fostering for crime which does not leave ill-will afterwards.

• Dobrith, i.e. dobur and hith, i.e. water and grain — the portion of the men of penance and repentance.

• Dobur (water) — two things it denotes: dobur first of all, i.e. water, from where dobarchú (otter, “water-hound”), i.e. dobran; dobur then, everything dark, i.e. not clear; and pur from purus, ‘clean’ — dobur then, i.e. di-pur, i.e. unclean or dark.

• Dedol (twilight), i.e. dé-dhual, i.e. due to night and due to day — so it is a mixed light of darkness and of brightness. Dedol, i.e. dia dhual, i.e. two good portions to it — actáil and teoir.

• Droch, i.e. everything evil, as is droch-bean (evil woman) or droch-fer (evil man).

• Drac (a dragon), i.e. from draco, quasi dracc, i.e. fire, i.e. wrath.

• Dreand, i.e. quarrelling; from where drennach is said, i.e. quarrelsome. Drénd then, i.e. rough; from where aindreand (i.e. a mountain) is said.

• Deal, i.e. a cow’s teat. From where is said in the Bretha Nemid: combo do dílachta deal, i.e. [otherwise dalta dá deal] a son of two cows.

• Deliugud (separation), i.e. a dividing, a separation and a distinguishing of things from one another, as one distinguishes a teat which is called delái; deliugud, i.e. de-ailicad, i.e. two divisions.

• Díthreb (a wilderness), i.e. being without a house or without habitation in it.

• Dísert (a hermitage), i.e. disertus locus, i.e. there was a dwelling (or both) in it before.

• Droichet (a bridge), i.e. doroichet cách taris — everyone crosses over it from one shore to another (of the water or of the woods). Droichset then, i.e. a straight path — for droch is everything straight: it does not allow unstraightness to it lest it should stumble. Or droch-sét on account of its badness.

• Deshruith, i.e. dis-ruith, i.e. not a dignitary.

• Deme (darkness), i.e. teime — teim is everything black, from where temen, i.e. dark, is said. Deme then for the darkness of night.

• Demess (a knife), i.e. meass déde in it (there are two knives with it); or demas, i.e. dé e-meass from its good knife. [Margin: or mes, i.e. an edge, as is said Mesgegra.]

• Domma, i.e. dí-shomma (un-wealthy).

• Dubach (sad), i.e. dí-shubach, i.e. dí a negation — de or du or do is a negation.

• Duilbir, i.e. dí a negation.

• Dulbair, i.e. do-labair. [Margin: disulbair — nisulbair, i.e. not easy to speak.]

• Diúire, i.e. dí maisse (without beauty).

• Dotchaid, i.e. dis-aigid, i.e. not easy of access.

• Dona, i.e. diana, i.e. life without rest.

• Dairfine (i.e. Corco-laigde, i.e. the race of Daire Dóimthech) — a name for the poets, i.e. duar-fine: duar then is a word; duar-fine then, i.e. a race that is for arranging — a word. Duar then is a name for a portion, as is said in the Bretha Nemid: duar donesa nath, i.e. a portion which is the noblest (or the most notable) for praise.

• Diancécht — the name of the sage of leechcraft of Ireland, i.e. dia na cécht, i.e. of the powers; cécht is a name for every power. Diancécht, i.e. the god of health (i.e. of healing). Diancécht then, the god of healing, as Néde mac Adnai said: cechtsom derco aithsceinm ailcne, i.e. he is powerful — ailcne however, i.e. a little sloe(?)… which was broken on his eye so that it sprang forth from his eyes so that he was blind; his powers were invoked on it — not, as the unlearned say, céchtsom i.e. caech-som (“he was blind”), etc.

• Deach (a joint/articulation), i.e. de-fuach, i.e. de-focul: fuach is a word’s meeting, i.e. joint to joint. Deach is the least, for though deach is said of a joint, it is not only for that it is said — it is fond-each, or it is for ten. It is from it that the end of the counting is put — wherein are eighteen joints, as the Latin says: unus non est numerus sed ab eo crescunt numeri. The eighteen joints which the poets of the Gael count, and it is for that joint, i.e. because there is no joint in it and it is not divided. Recomarc is the second deach, i.e. a meeting with another — joint to joint, as Cormac. Iarcomarc is the third deach, i.e. after meeting, i.e. after the first meeting, as Cormacan. Felis is the fourth deach, because it bends, i.e. though it is brought down four-square over every other path in the bending — it bends around it, the fourth, i.e. two here and two from without; that sign is not crooked, for there is no bending joint on either side, as is Murchertachán. Not so is the deach that is after it, i.e. claen-ré (“oblique ray”) the fifth deach. Therefore it is called claen-ré because it is divided into halves — and though it be brought around, the three are heavier and more numerous than the two. There are five joints in the claen-ré, as was got fianamail echar. Luibenchosach is the sixth deach: luib, i.e. luibne — a finger of the hand, and feet of the fingers up out of it, i.e. the forearm and the elbow to the joint of the shoulder; and to that is that deach likened in a man’s body — six joints from the end of the finger to the shoulder-joint: six joints in the luibenchosach, as is fiannamail fecharad. Claidemnus, i.e. claidem manus, is the seventh deach, i.e. “the sword of the hand” — that sword is all from the end of the finger to the joint between the… and the maethán — seven joints in it: seven joints in claidemnus, as is fiannamail echaradard. Bricht is the eighth deach: over what is effective, for it is from it that a nath is made; that is the noblest of them, the… of the nath, for every nath is bent by it — eight joints from the end of the finger to the grasp of the maethán of the…: eight joints are in bricht, as is fiannamail echaradardae.

• Delind, i.e. deliugud hó ind, as is ref, i.e. a man.

• Delg (a pin), i.e. del for a dírge — were it not death.

• Demi, i.e. every neuter with the Latinist is deme with the Gaelic poet.

• Doiduine, i.e. deg-duine (a good man). As Néde mac Adna said: indsa glam de doiduine; but better de daduine. Da then, everything good in the compound, as is said gruc da, i.e. a good woman.

• Drúchta dea, i.e. grain and milk. As the Irish say: drúchta dea Droma ceta.

Letter Five — E #

• Emain, i.e. eo-máin, i.e. eo a pin and muin a neck. Eomuin then, i.e. a pin over (or across) a neck, i.e. a brooch. This is how the brooch of the wife of the fort is reckoned: when she is seated (at the askance of her eyebrow… round about her), she takes her brooch out of her cloak to turn it about her round-wise with the pin; then it is that the pin reaches from her eastward over her mouth backwards about her — it is why the fort is crooked.
• Ecmacht (powerless), i.e. é-cumachta, i.e. because it is not in power.
• Emuin (twins), i.e. é is the negative. Emuin then is e hoen, i.e. not one [margin: but the one of them] — but two are begotten there. And the poets set muin [i.e. the letter m] in the middle for avoiding error, for they thought emoen or emon more beautiful than e-hoen. [Margin: otherwise emon, i.e. é and mon: ammon is monus (μόνος) in Greek; ammonus is ‘one’; emon then is not one but two.]
• Eliugud, i.e. elugud — so that there is less of it again.
• Essirt, i.e. eis a negation — the same as non et fert. Eisfert then, it is not a proper turf(?) with it.
• Erball (a tail), i.e. iar-ball, the last member of the animal.
• Elgon, i.e. eol-guin — he knows where they are wounded.
• Eden, quasi heder, from hedera (ivy).
• Elg, i.e. Ériu.
• Essine, i.e. ess and én: ess then (a negation) which is not — a feather-garment [margin: esene then — not a feather-garment], i.e. it is not covered with plumage. Essine then is not a feathered bird but a bare one.
• Emhde, i.e. finnta or dfecha (or deced).
• Edel (booty), i.e. a driving or a… As said Cumíne Fota: Mo trí Brain do día doberat edel. Bran tri muige Bran Laigen. Bran find for aice Femean.
• Essem (a bond), i.e. eis, i.e. an ox, and semh, i.e. a fitting: in that manner then it is fitting — the joining of the eighth of the yoke to the other yoke or to the ox [margin: or to the two oxen].
• Esrecht, i.e. what does not disturb the rule.
• Etarce, i.e. ge [γῆ] in Greek, ’terra’ in Latin; etarce then, i.e. the lower earth between the higher earth — between two ridges.
• Etarce, i.e. etrige fothalum.
• Espa, i.e. eis-beo — there is no life in it. Espa, i.e. nothing that is anything, quasi espa; espa then, i.e. eis a bá — its good is nothing, quasi espa.
• Edam, i.e. edó, i.e. I eat, i.e. I use food. Edam then for the using of food and for the wearing small of every covering that a man wears (not… as the unlearned say).
• Escand, i.e. esc, i.e. water; cann is the name of the vessel that is used in distributing water, and its foot… Escand then, i.e. sescand with the Britons — di et canna it is named.
• Eirge (rising), i.e. a gathering, from the verb erego (or erigo).
• Essad, i.e. essíd, i.e. not peace — for there is no peace in it, the lasting health.
• Enbret, i.e. en water and brét a tree, i.e. arbor broth [leg. brauí], as it is in the Norse tongue.
• Englas, i.e. green water.
• Énbruthi, i.e. en water, i.e. boiling water.
• Eogan, i.e. eugen (i.e. Greek): eu is ‘good’ in Latin; gen is from genesis, and genesis is generation. Eo-gen then is “good generation”.
• Eoganacht, i.e. icht is children or race (i.e. kindred) that sprang from Eogan.
• Ethur (a ferry), i.e. ethúr, i.e. ethaid from shore to shore.
• Etarport, quasi eter-bert, i.e. between two burdens. Etarbad, i.e. the name of a… with the druids.
• Enbarr, i.e. én water — énbarr, i.e. foam that is on the water. From where is said gelither énbarr (“white as foam”).
• Enechland (honour-price), i.e. because the honour of the man is planted in it — what is due to him for living or dead, for preventing… The full price of each one’s honour — it is what is required of it.
• Enech ruice, i.e. enech rú cian — long from the honour its rú (its blushing) is seen. Enech then, i.e. a face — blood reddening (as was got: a son by his mother, a son by his sister), as was got… a client’s service, a client’s travelling — not due to him is the seventh of the price of his honour. Enechgríss in the names of the divisions — it is fitting then that… the rising glorious of the division, as was got: each treasure that is produced from your land — a common protection or safeguard.
• Erc, i.e. heaven.
• Ercne, i.e. a cow of a…, i.e. a cow that is given to him in price of his…
• Ebrón, i.e. iron. As is in the Bretha Nemid: ebrón ima muintear (i.e. about his household) — rust and about…
• Etan, daughter of Diancécht, the woman-poet, from whose name etan, i.e. a verse, is said.
• Éceas (a poet), i.e. ecmacht-ceas, i.e. ecmacht his asking, i.e. to discover the four divisions of poetic knowledge.
• Epscop — a name in the Muirbretha, i.e. a measure-vessel of wine with the merchants of Gaul and France. Otherwise epscop, i.e. eipi forcai; abba, i.e. abba pater cai congranio; epscop, i.e. from episcopus.

Letter Six — F #

• Flaith (lordship), i.e. fó-laith — two things it denotes: flaith, i.e. fochla; flaith then — two things it denotes, i.e. ale and…, as is in the Senchas Már: flaith laith find fortellraig, i.e. out of a cow on earth.

• Fíne (a vine), from vinea — for the Latinist uses the letter V where the Gaelic uses F, as is vir, i.e. fer; visio, i.e. fiss; vita, i.e. fit; virtus, i.e. firt — though this does not run through every case.

• Fin (wine) then, from vinum.

• Ferius, i.e. fiar-ses, i.e.… of the tree.

• Fín, i.e. a drink.

• Fell, i.e. a horse; from where capell is named.

• Felc, i.e. a twist of…; from where is said forolltar findoirbed felc fill.

• Flesc, i.e. a shower.

• Fithal, i.e. the name of a judge; fíthal then, i.e. a cow’s calf.

• Ferb — three things it denotes: ferb, first, a cow, as is in the Senchas Már: teora ferba fíra, i.e. three white cows. Ferb then, i.e. a blister that is put on a man’s face after a contest or after a duel, as is geal fir natferba forbertatar forainchaib iarom. Ferb then, i.e. a word, as is rofeass itfás infenechas icondelg ferb ndé.

• Fir, i.e. find (white/fair), as Fachtna mac Sencha said: fordomdiur tri díru di argut airiu ar teora fera férba fonamerc nécoscc iter lathi Lúgba lí súla sochar. That was the sign of the champions (the… of Echdach) — ech-bel or nech-beoil, from Alp to the assemblies of Ulster, i.e. there were fira, i.e. white ones from the red ones in it.

• Ferend, i.e. the thing that is about a man’s calf, in whose stead a wounded(?)… the thing that is wounded about a man’s calf — as the custom of each was, of that they used to make the ferinn, for example a ferend of gold about a king’s foot. Ferend then is the name of a girdle that is about a man. From where is said tachmaicc snechta ferna fer, i.e. the girdles of the men caught the snow.

• Fochlocon, i.e. the name of a poet’s grade — it is called from its likeness to a fochlocán (“little ear of grain”): two leaves on it the first year; two for the fochlocon on the north side.

• Frecre (an answer), i.e. fri cach refri cach raed fhaisneses — for each thing and each saying it answers.

• Fogal (plundering), i.e. fo-ol, i.e. under shelter — it is not openly it is done, the plundering.

• Fola brith, i.e. fó-lóe in-bruit bái.

• Foloman or folman, i.e. the name of the hem of a cloak — quasi folom find, i.e. without a border on it.

• Fochonnad, i.e. fo-chonad — to a fire it is put, and afterwards it is a name for a whetstone (that dry thing); from where is said geltine gile fochonnad — a whetstone, i.e. a stone’s whiteness, and of it was said grian in gaim geltine.

• Fédilmid, i.e. fedil maith — a lasting good (or constant).

• Fescor (evening), quasi fescer, i.e. vescer, i.e. vesper, i.e. vesperum — from where, i.e. a night’s meal of food, from vescor.

• Fís (knowledge/a vision), i.e. from visio.

• Fual, i.e. bual uisce — from where is said dochotar arnasai hifúal (i.e. into the striking of water).

• Fothrugud (bathing), quasi fothrugud, i.e. from washings, i.e. from frequent bathings. But better: fothraicit, i.e. when a man washes his feet and hands — that is indlot (i.e. a washing of Sunday, i.e. a washing of…); fothrugud then is fothrocit, i.e. trochit (i.e. a body), i.e. the whole body under it.

• Foi, i.e. Cnámchaill. As said Grúibne to Corc mac Lúgdach: In fess fóFoi, i.e. that Cnámchoille was wooded (or renowned). Item: Mog Ruith (or Roth) prophesied that Roth Fáil would come, saying cori Durluis find iarFoi, i.e. beyond Cnámchaill.

• Felmac, i.e. a son of… or of his…; fel, i.e.…

• Féle (poetry), i.e. écsi or éceis; from where is said filidecht, i.e. poetry.

• Fili (a poet), i.e. fí is satire and lí is praise — the fili. Fili then, i.e. fial-súi — a sage of liberality.

• Fogamur (harvest-tide), i.e. the name of the last month — fogam, i.e. wind and a wall around it, as is in the Bretha Nemid: imbera fogamur, i.e. fogemur, i.e. fo gemur, i.e. a good winter; dag, i.e. wheat, from where is said triar dag, i.e. three persons of sacrifice — sacer and pít, i.e. a meal, as is said:

  Pít proind doromult inné / dearb is dámna aithrige / inglan mochorp lir mogrus / glan intí rochoimprius.

  [Margin: quasi fogamur, i.e. the long time of winter, etc.]

• Fót (sod), i.e. faitech; anbfót, i.e. anb-faitech, as is said:

  Bíd cách ifaitces a fóit / iscian imthigit innóic / isde ata fót faitech / ocus anfót andfaitech.

• Faath, i.e. learning; from where is said faitsine, i.e. a prophet.

• Femen, i.e. Fe and Men, i.e. the two ridges of the district of Ireland. In that place were (of it is said): Cirbe was the name of the stead where they used to be keeping…

• Fliuchud (wetting), i.e. fliuch-suth — wet juice in its…, i.e. a juice of…

• Fair, i.e. the rising of the sun in the morning, from jubar. From where Colum Cille said: dia lim fri fuin, dia lim fri fair (i.e. to its rising).

• Fe, from ve, i.e. vae — for the Gaels use F to supply the V (or in place of the V) consonant, as we have said before. Fe then, i.e. a withe of wood — and a wooden thing which the Gaels invented for taking captives and for burial: that withe used to be always in the graves of the heathen, and it was a horror to everyone to take it in the hand, and whatever they had to attest, they used to put(?) through it in the ogam. From where is said:

  Dirsan beith imbethaid dam / déis rig Gaedel ocus Gall / toirsech morosc crín inocré / oratóimsead fé fri Flaíid.

  [Margin: otherwise foruigena with the Gaels — a withe they used to put through the flesh and about the burial in which they used to bury; and that withe was always in the graves of the heathen about the burials, and it was a horror to everyone to take it in the hand, and everything they had to attest the men used to attach to it. From where the proverb has come fe fris, i.e. as the withe called fe is to be attested, so is the other thing to which it is compared. For it was long that the withe used to be on the oath, and it was to be attested — therefore Morand says in the briathar ogam: aírcaid fid edath, i.e. the withe called fe was very…]

• Fidchell (chess), i.e. féth-ciall — fáth-ciall, i.e. sense and practice in its playing; or fuath-li-cell, i.e. fuath cille — four-cornered first is the chessboard, and straight its…, black and white upon it, and separate men in each direction besides who win the game. So also the Church throughout the four parts of the earth is fed by the four Gospels — it is straight in customs and in… of the scripture, and black and white, i.e. good and bad, dwell in the Church.

• Fraig (a wall), i.e. fri-haig, i.e. to hold fast.

• Folasai, i.e. because it supports a man’s foot. Otherwise: fol, i.e. quasi sol, i.e. bonn-bach, i.e. sole and edge — between sole and edge it is. Fol then quasi sol, from solum in Latin. Fól, i.e. cend-fochrus — f for s.

• Fuithir, i.e. fothir, i.e. he who brings land to the foreigner.

• Fasach, i.e. feso-sech — the judge brings a likeness of each case into what is adjudged, i.e. a case like another, and then tells the judgement which wise judges gave upon it. Fássach then, i.e. fo-thechaid over the old case to the present. Or sechaid in the old judgement upon the present case.

• Fiern — iarn or iarm-belra that is. [Margin: Fiern, i.e. everything good — it is iarn-berla or iarm-berla (a later language).]

Letter Seven — G #

• Gloir (glory), i.e. from gloria, i.e. gluair on account of the greatness of the glory.

• Galar (sickness), quasi calor.

• Gam, from gamos in Greek, from which also gamete — a woman — is named in Greek, i.e. bean; from where bigamus or trigamus is said.

• Gaimred (winter), quasi gam-rith; and from there said Colmán mac húi Cluasaig, from the elegy for Cumíne Fota mac Fiachna:

  Ua Choirpri ocus hua Chuirc / ba sái ba hán ba erdercc / dursan marban a mí gaim / ni liach ni décaib iaram

  (i.e. it has gone to heaven).

• Gelistar, i.e. the name of a ford of water where cattle are on the way across, and stakes are fixed into the ground around it, and a bent… is made about it if it be between neighbours, lest the cattle or the fields cross it. A commemoration is made at the ford (or the like after that they make of the cattle at the ford), it is for that it is named gelistar; and a common highway to each neighbour is due to it if it be a highway (or to it, even without permission).

• Gabur (a horse) with a goat-letter — quasi caper, for that is corrupted in it. Góbur with a horse-letter — of the steed it is the name, and it is a compound corrupted in it (and that is…). Gour then, every light(-coloured) thing; from where is said gabur (or gobur) of the white horse, etc. Gabur then is a name for every horse whatever colour it has (other things in it, i.e. on the horse), provided there be even a little white in it — gobur is its name, for it is by the most notable thing in it that it is named: by the most notable colour it is named.

• Gilldae (a chisel), i.e. like geal or like gil, i.e. like white. That is its custom for sucking — that is the custom of the chisel, to suck by the tongue of…, as is said in the Bretha Nemid: toglen gil tengaid.

• Gaileng — concerning Cormac mac Taidg maic Céin it was said: he made a feast for his father Tadg son of Oilell, so that he had a hundred of each kindred in it save only badgers. Cormac went to the badger-warren and it was slow in his eyes to wait for its capture, so that they let out upon him a man who was his father’s enemy, Tadg. Now the badgers went out and Cormac slew a hundred of them and showed them at the feast. Tadg’s heart then hated them, and he said it was a shameful thing that was done there, and named his son by this name, Cormac Gaelang (i.e. cac enech, “honour-dung”), from which the Galenga are named. Gaileng, i.e. gaii lang, i.e. without buying; gaileng then, i.e. gail-seng, because the one… is made thin.

• Gem, i.e. from gemma.

• Grád (a grade), i.e. from gradus.

• Glang, i.e. a fetter; from there asglang.

• Gnid, i.e. a voice; from there is said gnídgal.

• Geal (white), from gelu.

• Giabur, i.e. a harlot.

• Gol (weeping), i.e. a tear (from where golgaire).

• Gall (a pillar-stone), i.e. corthi cloiche, i.e. not neighbours(?) that their possessions be… Gall then — four things it denotes: gall, a stone pillar first, as we have said before; gall is said of it because it was Gauls who first settled in Ireland. Gaill then is a name for the nobles of France, i.e. the tribes of Gaul, and it is from the whiteness of their bodies they were named — gall (γάλα) in Greek is said lac (milk) in Latin, from where Galli; so then gall is a name for… Hence Fer Muman said: cocholl chos ngall gemin bráin. Gall then is a name for a cock, i.e. gallus, i.e. from galea the helmet of the head it is named.

• Grasticum, i.e. graziacum, i.e. the giving of thanks of Patrick — which the Irish corruptly say. So it should be said: grasagum do duiu, i.e. gratias Deo agimus.

• Géd (a goose), i.e. a name made from its sound — gág gag.

• Gamuin (a yearling calf), i.e. immi gaim, i.e. after winter. From where is said gámnach (a farrow cow), i.e. because she is milch in winter, i.e. in the winter-time.

• Grond, i.e. a javelin or gorn, i.e. gái-orn, i.e. a javelin of slaughter, i.e. a firebrand. As Gruibne said in welcome to Corc or to Cormac: immicuiretar gruind gair, etc.

• Gluss, i.e. light, as is in the Bretha Nemid: dofét óc iarnglus, i.e. the young man is nobler with his good eyes than the old man whose eye has gone out.

• Greth — the name of Aitherne’s servant, to whom Amargein mac Eculsaig the smith of the Boyne said: Inith greth gruth grínmuinc gráninuine glascrema cue uinn ubla grethi gruth.

• Gart — two things it denotes: gart, i.e. a head, in the Dúil Feda Máir; gart then, i.e. hospitality — and a head over every wondrous thing a man does.

• Gruiten, i.e. groitsean — though it is old it is grot, i.e. it is sour; for grot is every sour thing; from where is said groitmess, i.e. sour fruit.

• Gnó, i.e. boasting. From where is said ní recht nach gnó, i.e. no boasting is right, i.e. it is not lawful for law unless it be good; nor for gnó, i.e. it is not good for boasting or for boasting therein. Gnoe however is every comely thing, as is said in the Senchas Már: cno gnoe, i.e. comely.

• Groma, i.e. air. From where is said gromfa, i.e. aerial; and from where is said gruaim — every smooth company fit for form(?) of air and…; gruaimm of a man of Cashel, it is called of it.

• Glám, quasi clám, from clamor which it makes.

• Glademain, i.e. a son of the land — gluidite, i.e. it casts great boasts.

• Guidemain, i.e. terrors and spectres.

• Gaire — i.e. gair-secla, i.e. gar rae, i.e.…, as is said in the satire that Nédi mac Adnai maic Uithir made on the king of Connacht, i.e. on his own father’s brother, on Caer mac Úithir. This is the satire:

  Maile baire gaire Caieur / combeodutar celtra catha Caier / Caier dibá Caier dira Caier foró / fomara fochara Caier.

  Maile then, i.e. evil, from malum; baire, i.e. death; gaire, i.e. hairs(?)…; Caieur, i.e. of Caer; celtra catha, i.e. a javelin — from where diceltair is said, i.e. a javelin-shaft without iron on it or without a weapon; foró, i.e. imord feda, i.e. under earth; fomara, i.e. under great walls(?); fó chora, i.e. under stones to Caer, etc.

Letter Eight — I #

• I H C [IHCOYC] — in this name is the name of our Saviour.
• Hibar (yew), i.e. eu-barr, i.e. fó-barr, i.e. because it never sheds its top.
• Hitharna, i.e. hith and feorna, i.e. grain for its cleanness, and hith the grain which the ancients used to sow (or which used to go into the candles) in the…
• Iasc (a fish), i.e. in-ésc, i.e. esc water; and the water answers to its life(?) — or iasc quasi esc, i.e. from esca; es then is food, from where esser; ca, i.e. from caput, i.e. the head and the prop of every food is the fish, for Jesus ate it.
• Hindmaiss, i.e. in-amus.
• Hiseal (low), i.e. is-allt — for the low is not said unless there be a high by it; allt however is from altitudo.
• Hiarn (iron), i.e. iarn in the Norse tongue.
• Himesorcain, i.e. imes-orcain — striking on both sides.
• Himrimm, i.e. im-réim, i.e. the course of the horse and the course of the man; so also dírím, i.e. dí-réim, a course of…
• Himbliu (navel), quasi uimbliu, from umbilicus.
• Himbliuch, quasi im-loch, i.e. a lake round about it.
• Hinis (an island), i.e. from insula; inis then, the… of insae, i.e. anusa — not easy, i.e. not…
• Hinsamhain, i.e. an-esamain, i.e. not easy.
• Ib (a drink), quasi bib, i.e. bibe.
• Hindrosc, i.e. ind-arosc, i.e. an saying for the (or the two) words.
• Himortan, i.e. im-portan, i.e. imram (or im-breth) from port to port.
• Hia, quasi cenéli forcill — for it is one of the twelve names by which Christ is invoked (or invoked) by the Hebrews.
• Idol, i.e. from idolum.
• Hidoss — from the Greek [εἶδος], ‘forma’ in Latin. From where idolum is said, i.e. the shapes and images of the idols (or of the elements) which the heathen used to make before.
• Hindelba, i.e. the animals of the altars of those idols, because they used to burn in them, i.e. the images of all they used to worship (or of the elements they used to offer) — from where, for example, a form (or figure) of the sun on the altar, as…
• Himbath (the ocean), i.e. oician; bath, i.e. sea, as is (the sea) between Ireland and Scotland, or any other sea round about it, as the earthly sea. Himbath then, i.e. im-muir — the sea that surrounds it round about; of it is the name ocian (or that is the ocean, yes).
• Hidan, quasi idon, from idoneus.
• Hiarnbelra (iron-language, i.e. ogam speech) — so called for the blackness of the language and for its darkness and for its closeness, so that it is not easy to search it out through it (or in it).
• Himbas forosnai — i.e. it makes clear to the poet every thing he would gladly reveal. This is how it is done: the poet chews a morsel of the flesh of a red pig or of a dog or a cat, and then puts it on the flagstone behind the door and sings an incantation over it and offers it to his idol-gods; and then his idols are summoned to him, and he does not find them the next day. And he sings charms over his two palms; his idol-gods are summoned to him again lest sleep be disturbed upon him, and he puts his two palms over his two cheeks and sleeps. And watch is kept over him lest anyone should disturb or interrupt him, until everything about which he was doubtful is shown to him — at the end of a nomad, or two or three, or however long the time he might be at the offering. And therefore himbas is said, i.e. his two palms about him — a palm this side and a palm that side about his cheeks. And Patrick abolished or rejected that, and the teinm laígda: he ordained that none who does it should be of heaven or of earth, for it is a denial of baptism. The díchetal do chendaib then was left (of it), because its making is in the order of art — for it is not needful to offer to demons for it, but a declaration from the ends of bones at once.

Letter Nine — L #

• Loech (a layman), i.e. from laicus (or from laicus).
• Laiches, i.e. lóech and feiss, i.e. from the feiss… the layman with her.
• Lúgnasad (Lammastide), i.e. a game or an assembly — násad is its name, i.e. the commemoration or the games of Lug mac Ethne (or Ethlenn) which used to be held by him at autumn-tide.
• Ligur, i.e. a tongue.
• Lelap (a child), i.e. lú-leap — lú is everything small; or len-ab, i.e. he follows his father (abbas, i.e. father), or because he follows his father and his mother.
• Leasmac (a stepson), i.e. liss-mac, i.e. because it is a fort for the man or for the woman — the one who is a stepson to each of them. So less-mathair (stepmother) or less-athair (stepfather): less then quasi liss, i.e. a fort of strife or of contention.
• Legam, i.e. from the bed(?)… the garment; or legam, i.e. líg áith, i.e. sharp for its thinness — the thing which makes no staying but in many garments: for more often is the thin garment eaten (or it stays not against any garment, unless the more often it is gathered and the thin garment is worn) than another garment.
• Leconn (a cheek), i.e. le-cend, i.e. a side-head.
• Lásamnai, from laissim, i.e. every…
• Lémlacht (new milk), i.e. warm milk — leam then is everything warm.
• Loch (dark) — two things it denotes: loch, i.e. black, from where is said asoilgi laith; loch-rúna, i.e. black secrets — though dark were the secrets of each and though secret before and after, the secrets of a lord at drinking are troubled. Loch, i.e. all; from where is said loch-dub, i.e. all-black.
• Láarg, i.e. ló arg or leo arg — leo a limb and arg a hero: leo a limb or an… or a share of a good warrior.
• Lorg, i.e. lo airg, or loric — from where is said…
• Lám (a hand), i.e. luam, i.e. because it moves about the whole body.
• Lámos, i.e. lam-foss, i.e. the rest of a kiss (or a rest) — the keeping of the hand.
• Lámind, i.e. láim-ind, i.e. of the hand is eaten(?) of it.
• Lúda, i.e. ludugan — lú is everything small, for it is the smallest finger of the hand.
• Liee (a stone), from Greek λῖθος, ’lapis’ in Latin.
• Laith — two things it denotes: láith of valour, and laith, i.e. mead, as we have said before. Eter laithe Lúgba, i.e. the mead of Lugba the smith, who counted the silver before the cow(?); when then it is… it is then it is called this (when then it is an injunction on what is, it is then it is called this).
• Langflter (a fetter), i.e. ainglaiss (or ainglis) — lang long; feitir, i.e. the fetter of the Gauls, i.e. a coupling. Langfiter, i.e. a long fetter that is between the feet of the head and the base of the rump — not so the urchomul, i.e. gold(?) its coupling: between the two feet of the head of the horse it is.
• Lecht (a grave), i.e. the bed of a dead man — from lectus.
• Long (a ship), i.e. from longa, i.e. long, i.e. what is on the sea.
• Lebor (a book), quasi libor, i.e. from liber.
• Lott, quasi lot; from where is said lotrad, i.e. lothrad: lott for lott of a woman in harlotry.
• Lath, i.e. lúth, i.e. because it…
• Lommand (bare), i.e. lomm fand — though it is bore it is weak.
• Lathirt, i.e. laith lind and irt a death to him who drinks it — a drinking of ale or of beer killed him.
• Lúgbort, better luib-gort, i.e. a herb-garden.
• Lín, from linum; léine from one of the two.
• Lánomain (married pair), i.e. wholly each other’s own — for each is half a possession of the other.
• Leithech (a kind of fish) — two things it denotes: first a name for a kindred of fish, i.e. for its broadness — who is of it and for its…, for great is the breadth of him who is of it in the ocean. Lethech then is the name of a plant, because a… grows on it — as said Cruitíne once when he went to the house of a poet and his servant with him: the poetess(?) — that is, they two were of one name in her country. Now Cruitíne himself stayed outside and let his servant go guesting to the poet’s house. A boiled pig was brought to him in the house, and the poet began conversing with the poetess and… his eyes over her service. The poet perceived the poetess’s pride and the slackness of her service. Now when the pig was boiled the poet said before the poetess tófotha tarr tein, i.e. it is time to cut it (or to… it) from the fire — and he wished to know what answer the poetess would give, for he had heard the poetess glorying in another… as though it were she herself who had come; and he believed not the poetess, and therefore the poet said it to test the poetess: tófotha tarr tein. And three times he said Dofotha tarr tein, and she answered him not a word. Then the poetess arose and went to the place where Cruitíne was and told him the tale — the saying the poet had uttered: tófotha tarr tein. “Well,” said Cruitíne, “when he says it again, say to him: Toe lethaig foen friss — i.e. under the belly — and against the… of the fort, or against the… of the fort: toe lossait foen friss, i.e. under the belly, and against the… a candle to see whether the belly is cooked.” Now when he had sat down in the house there, the first poet said it, and the poetess said Toe lethaig, etc. “Well,” said the poet, “it was no… of a poetess that produced that — it was near that it was produced, and near then is Cruitíne who calls outside.” Then Cruitíne is called, welcome is made to him, and food is given him in the house then — and small was the spirit of the poetess because the poet had denied her until Cruitíne helped her.
• Leos (light), i.e. the reddening whereby a man is reddened after defeat or naked(?) — leos then, i.e. brightness, as is in the Dúil Roscadach: grinniud leos, i.e. the putting out of light, i.e. a candle. Item: aigead fir ima leos luinether or imaleos luindetar, i.e. about the light it goes round.
• Locharn (or Luachairnd) — a lamp, quasi luchern, from lucerna, etc.

Letter Ten — M #

• Mo debroth, says Patrick — which the Irish say corruptly. So it should be said: muin doíu braut: muin is meus; díu is deus; braut is judex — i.e. meus Deus judex (“my God is judge”).

• Marc (a horse), i.e. a steed; marcach then, i.e. many horses with him. As is said buasach — the man with whom are many cows; airmnech then, the man who has many trees; so airgdech, colgedach.

• Mathair (a mother), quasi mater, for that is corrupted in it — mater.

• Mid (mead), i.e. a compound corrupted in it — med.

• Meithel (a reaping-party), quasi methel, from metho or meto.

• Mucairbe, i.e. mac fuirmid, i.e. a son who appoints…

• Malland, i.e. a stream that flows down over the crown — quasi mulland.

• Millead, i.e. mí-shillead, i.e. an evil looking.

• Más, from massa.

• Miscaith, i.e. mí-scaith, i.e. ill report; scath, i.e. report, as is the Dúil Roscadach.

• Milgitan, i.e. mol-chuiten, i.e. the portion of Múil — the doorkeeper of Tara. Mol then is his name because the mill that used to be worked over the people(?) — tait es táit ind; from where molach is said.

• Melg (milk), i.e.…, for it is milked.

• Melg then, i.e. death. From where is said melgthemi, i.e. the darkness of death, or melgtheinte, i.e. the fire of death.

• Morand, i.e. mor-fínd — that was his name given him by his mother, and she said he would be a doomed one of death for anyone who would speak against him. Mac máin then — the name his father gave him — “a good son”, and a doomed one of death to whoever would speak that name against him. So that name prevailed over the other name. He was son of Coirpre Cindchait.

• Menad, i.e. small and sharp that wounds. Menad then, small its closing, i.e. its hole.

• Moth, i.e. everything manly — i.e. every masculine thing, and it is a name for the virile member.

• Man, i.e. from manus.

• Manach (a monk), i.e. from monachus.

• Monach, i.e. clessach — from món, i.e. a feat.

• Methos (an end/boundary), i.e. from meta, i.e. from the limit or from the boundary.

• Molad (praise), i.e. mol soad — mol for its frequency, soad for its usefulness or for its piety.

• Menmchosach, i.e. a mind with no satisfaction in it — or a contentious mind in it, i.e. litigious.

• Muirtchend, from morticinium, i.e. martar-chend, i.e. of…, i.e. ímarb cuhoband.

• Muilend (a mill), i.e. mol and hond — for it is the two things that are dearest in a mill: hond, i.e. a stone, its stones greater than quern-stones; Muilind then, i.e. meil and lind, for it is on a pool it grinds — molo muílend, i.e. mola broo then, or muiliern.

• Merdrech (a harlot), i.e. mear. [Margin: merdrech, i.e. mer drech, i.e. mer and drech after their joining] — a woman who is of wanton looks, or mear (i.e. a fool) and drech, i.e. wanton. Merdrech then, i.e. a wanton fool. Hence the poet: mear cach drúth mianach cach baeth. Or merdrech from meretrix, i.e. a merendo stupri pretium.

• Mát, i.e. hands(?). From where índ-mat, i.e. where the hands are washed; índlat then — for it is for the foot and its washing it is said.

• Mát, i.e. a pig. From where is said in the Bretha Nemid: foruachtatar mata mó thuinde targabail.

• Mánd, i.e. an ounce. As Sencha said: Mou álib imdergad émna domider de vii. cumala cichside crissu vii. mogu mogaigthi írimorgnima mogsaine vii. manna óir aithlegtha fri fialgnúis mocharut moir mou. Mand then, i.e. white(?), i.e. a stamped ounce.

• Munnu, i.e. mo-finnu, i.e. the name of an oath — for Fintan it was called. From where said Maedóc of Ferns in mocking or in reproaching Munnu mac Tulcháin:

  A chilian Dé chumachtaig / a maic Thulcháin a bachlaigh / ruc mac annsai (i.e. demon) do múintir / mathair rotfucc a Finntain.

• Mál, i.e. a king and a poet. From where is said: he is not bound by silver or gold but by a mál (i.e. by a king).

• Muirend — two things it denotes: first a name for a woman; Muirend, i.e. mor-find. Muirend then is a name for a spear, i.e. mir-ind (i.e. droch-rind, an evil point): droch, i.e. death; droch-rind, i.e. a point that deals death.

• Mogheime — that was the name of the first lapdog that was in Ireland. Coirpre Músc mac Conaire brought it from the east out of Britain — for when the power of the Gael was great over the Britons, they had divided Scotland between them into land-shares, and each knew his suretyship for his friend, and the Gaels used not to… on the eastern sea any more than in Ireland, and their cities and royal forts were made there. Hence is said Dinn Tradúi, i.e. Dún Tredui, i.e. the threefold(?) of Crimthann Mór mac Fhidaig, king of Ireland and Scotland, and the boundary of…; and hence Glasimpere of the Gael, i.e. a church on the sea-shore of… There it was that Glass mac Caiss, the swineherd of the king of Hiruath, was herding pigs on a mast-feeding, and it was he who marked out Patrick at the end of twenty-six years thereafter, after he was slain by the warriors of Mac Con. And of that district is Dinn map Lethain in the lands of Cornish Britons, i.e. the fort of the sons of Liathán — for mac is mabb in Welsh. So each kindred was divided from there until their portion in (Ireland?) — and they were under that power for a long time after Patrick’s coming. Now it was then that Coirpre Músc was visiting eastward with his people and his friends. Now at that time lapdogs were scarce in the land of Ireland, and the Britons had decreed that no lapdog should be given to the Gael for love or for reward or for friendship. This then was the law at that time among the Britons: every criminal — for his crime, for anyone who would break the law. Now there was a delightful lapdog in the possession of a friend of Coirpre Músc’s in Britain, and Coirpre begged it of him. Once when Coirpre had gone to his house, welcome was made to him — save only about the lapdog. Coirpre Músc had a wonderful knife with a haft of silver and gold — a wondrous treasure it was. Now Coirpre put it to his mouth and rubbed grease on its haft, and left it on the lapdog’s mouth afterwards. The lapdog took it over the bone of the haft together; the knife wounded it so that it was blemished. Coirpre made a great lament over that the next day — that it was grievous (or was angry) at it — and asked for satisfaction for it from his friends. Then the man said: “Give up the hound,” said he. “I will not have it,” said Coirpre, “save what is at the Britons’ law — every(?) in its offence.” The lapdog was given to Coirpre for that, and a name was given to it — Mogemi: mog, i.e. a slave — brought to it after the knife. The lapdog was with child (i.e. a she-dog). Then came Oilell Flann Bec over Munster at that time, and Cormac ua Cuinn in Tara, and they three took… demanding and contending for the lapdog between them. This then is the way it was settled between them three: a fixed period for the hound in the house of each of them. The hound went then and brought each a cub of her litter — and that is the manner in which they are in Ireland still. Now the lapdog died at last, and Connla mac Taidg maic Céin maic Oilella Auluim found the bare skull of that lapdog, and took it as a puzzle to the poet who had gone with him to make a verse for his father — Maen mac Edaine was the poet’s name. Then Maen the poetess(?) cast it by teinm laígda and said: Cain tonna tige háui Eogain — ith itig háui Chuind cacht adath tobarand basacaem itig Choirpri múisc aMuig emi. Ceand Moga emi andso — i.e. this is the head of Moga emi, the first lapdog that was brought into Ireland, etc.

• Muma (Munster), from the name of a certain king, i.e. Eochaid Garb: Echaid mumo, i.e. Eochaid mumó, i.e. greater his grasp and his valour and his power than every king — it is from his name Mumain and the Muimnig are named. Mumu is said from a king’s name then.

• Mug (a slave), quasi múch, for it is under darkness and… of service always.

• Mugsaine (female slavery), i.e. mug-sine, quasi mug-sníme, i.e. the care that is on the mind of the slave.

• Mucn, i.e. the proper name of a god; from where muchad is said.

• Milis (sweet), quasi melis — mil, i.e. mel (honey), corrupted in it; milis (i.e. the same as) honey.

• Midach, quasi medic, from medicus, i.e. a physician.

• Mear (mad), i.e. because he is alone in the… where he is, i.e. in his madness and in his doubt he goes — quasi merulus, i.e. a blackbird… in Greek, which flies alone and has no other bird even of its own kind in its company.

• Meracht, quasi mericht, i.e. icht mear — Meracht, i.e. acht (i.e. a deed) of a madman, from actus.

• Mairt (Tuesday/March), i.e. mor-ait, i.e. a great…, i.e. as Sunday from máirt. Máirt, i.e. from Mars, of the god of battle with the Gentiles — Mars then is a name for it; to it then they used to consecrate the month of March, as Januarius, Februarius, Martius. Mairt then — from it they are called, as dies Solis, dies Lunae, dies Martis.

• Mart, quasi mort, i.e. from mors.

• Mortlaith (mortality), from mortalitas.

• Manannán mac Lir — a famous merchant who was in the Isle of Man; he was the best pilot that was in the west of Europe: he used to know by the sky-signs (i.e. the practice of the sky) the measure of the fair weather and the foul weather, and when each of those two things would change. From there the Irish and the Britons called him the god of the sea, and from there they said he was a son of the sea — mac lir, i.e. son of the sea. And from the name Manannán the Isle of Man is named.

Letter Eleven — N #

• Nise, i.e. a sister’s son. As Cúchulainn said, prophesying (or foretelling) Christ’s coming: níse duine ticfa ipaec móisi, i.e. a sister’s son to man shall come, and he is Jesus. And others say that Cúchulainn believed from that time.

• Nemnuall, i.e. the name that is greatest of women’s names in the world — nem-nuall, i.e. for making the Mass there; nemnuall, i.e. the shout of the men of heaven about it.

• Ninus, i.e. nin foss and nin tónd — the wave that came from the eastward ridge went into the…, was cast up in that land so that a well was made of it. From where is said Corc-modruad Ninus.

• Nemeth (a sanctuary), i.e. nem-iath, i.e. the lawful enclosure of a church.

• Nemáith, i.e. the lawful enclosure of laymen.

• Nemfuath, i.e. the lawful enclosure of poets.

• Neith, i.e. the god of battle with the Gentile Gael; Nemon, his wife.

• Nac, quasi nic, i.e. nech occ; from where is said nicc occ or ningoc.

• Nith, i.e. a man’s wounding.

• Ner, i.e. a wild boar. As is in the…: fáil nér néit griphi gradaigthe.

• Noe, i.e. a man. From where is said diannáma noe (i.e. whose name is a man) on land.

• Noes, i.e. nó-fiss — the knowledge of the nine: three kings and three saints and three sages — a sage of poetry and a sage of letters and a sage of the language of the Féni. Those are they who were at the making of the Senchas Már. From where is said:

  Laeguire Corc Dáire dúr / Patraic Beneoin Cairnech coir / Ross Dubthach Fergus cofheib / ix. sailge sin Senchais moir.

• Nimb, i.e. a drop — from nimbus. From where is said in the Bretha Nemid:

  Oengus foáiblib imais aricht / roloisc leath íbnimib nimb.

• Nairne (or naire, modesty), i.e. cleanness or modesty — as though it were modesty that was in it. Old language that is — that innairne (or innaire) is the same as though one should say now in the common speech, especially in Ormond or in Munster. From there said the poet: nífil ní bus toich duit — fhil naire, i.e. for him who is asked: there is, yes, said he.

• Nith, i.e. a man’s wounding, as is nihe intí dogní. Nethes then, i.e. a man’s wounding, as is ni hidnse nethes nemthigetar.

• Nescoit — i.e. this is the lore of the Gael. When the battle of Mag Tuired was fought, Goibniu the smith was in the forge making the weapons for the Túatha Dé Danann, and Luchtine the carpenter was making the shafts for the spears, and Creidne the craftsman was making the rivets for the same spears. Now the Irish say Goibniu the smith used to make spears with three strokes, and the last stroke was the riveting. Luchtine then used to make the shafts with three cuts, and the last cut was the finishing. So also Creidne used to make the rivets. Goibniu used to cast the spear-heads from the tongs so that they stuck in the door-post; Luchtine used to let fly the shafts after them, and it was enough to(?) them; Creidne used to toss the rivets from the tongs’ mouths at them, and it was enough for them. Now while Goibniu was at that work a charge of blood was brought against his wife. That was a sorely thing to him, the tale, and a sickness over it. This is what he did about it: there was a tree in his hand when he heard the news — Ness was its name, and it is of it that a spear-shaft is made — and he sang a charm over that tree, and every man who came to him he would give a fastening of that tree. Then when the man was done, a hill full of gore and blood was raised up, and the man was burnt like fire — for the hatefulness of the tree named Ness used to be upon the hill; and it is for that that it was named Nescoit. Ness then, i.e. a hill, and scóit a… — Ness then, four things it denotes: ness, the name of the animal; ness, a name for a tree; ness, a name for a spear-shaft — as said the wife of a certain smith making an elegy for her husband:

  Ba dursan lium sellad fris / forbir ifraig dercc anis / babinde nochantais dord / friderc aneis adí bolg.

  And another said:

  Bean aentuma bís cenfer / inteni cohurloscad / nama guali bean naise / is uaide ainmm urnaise.

  Ness then is a name for a blow and for a wound, as is in the Senchas Már:

  A gráinib cach tomas / a fénib cach foras / a mainib cach mess / a dírib chuirp duine / ciadat ile afuile / rohainmniged ness.

  As the mark of the member in a man — its impress is the wound; of that are…, for example on his forehead or his face or his chin — the reproach is placed, the greater is the eric, as was got in the Senchas Már: if the blemish be in a hidden place, the less it is, etc.

Letter Twelve — O #

• Ollamh (chief poet), i.e. oll adhámh… Ollamh, i.e. oll aúaim, i.e. as it is hard to break a cave that is under a rock, so it is hard to attack the ollamh in art and poetry. Ollam then, i.e. oll éimh, i.e. great in two… — an ollamh of two…, i.e. he answers and is equal to the questions.

• Oí (a sheep), i.e. a ewe. From where is said oísc (a yearling lamb), i.e. ói seisc, i.e. a dry ewe; oi-melc, i.e. oi-melg, i.e. it is the season when the milk comes from the sheep — melg, i.e. milk, because it is milked.

• Oen (one), quasi un, from unus.

• Oenach (a fair), i.e. úne each.

• Oeth (an oath), i.e. swearing or perjury.

• Oar, i.e. a voice or a call.

• Oech, i.e. an enemy.

• Orb — a man’s name, from whom the Orbraige.

• Og (an egg), quasi ob, i.e. ovum, i.e. an egg.

• Ord, i.e. from ordo.

• Olchubar, i.e. ól accobar, i.e. a desire to drink with him — or ól is the name of liquor in the Norse tongue or in the Norman tongue.

• Ornd, i.e. plunder or slaying.

• Om (raw), i.e. inbíd — a Greek [word] corrupted in it: omon (ὠμόν) in Greek is ‘crudum’ in Latin.

• Opair (a work), i.e. oper, from operatio.

• Ong, i.e. a reproach and a rebuke; from where is said coscaig domac a ííthail consecait a oic (or a oing). Ong, i.e. uch, as is:

  Ni hong aentige amach. Ong / cian on relic mothech tóll / nídamnia acht amgeilt ghánd / dia dorad icert mochond.

• Oróit (a prayer), i.e. orait, i.e. oratio.

• Oslucad (opening), i.e. uas-lécud — letting up the leaves; or oslucad, i.e. ais-lecud, i.e. letting down over…

• Ochtach, i.e. og-tech, i.e. og-uide — his house for consuming (or for being) upon him (or upon it).

• Or (gold), quasi aur, from aurum.

• Orc tréith — i.e. the name of a king’s son; for triath is ‘king’ — from where said the poet énach tra uirc tréith, i.e. food and precious clothing, down and quilts, ale and flesh, chess and fidchell, horses and chariots, the hounds and the other beasts. Otherwise orcc then is the name of a salmon; from which the head of Lomna the fool said after it was struck from him: orcc brecc bronnfind brúchtas demhagur fómuirib — ni labair nimtoe tuaithe torc natraic rómsi rorannsat raind nátcert Coirpri. It was from there it came to him — i.e. Find ua Baiscne was he to whom Lomna the fool (i.e. a mídlach) was fool. Now Find went one day on a hunting circuit, and Lomna was left behind; he had a woman of the Luigni with Find — every… and every secret(?) Find and his fían used to have: a recognised wife over his head in each district, and they were women-hosts (and they were good) to support the fían, for the fían scattered through the lands so that none dared [do harm] to them. Find came once to Tebtha with his fían and went on a hunting circuit, and Lomna was with them (or was left behind) — or Lomna came back. He was walking outside and saw Coirpre (i.e. a fían-man of the Luigni) at the rape(?) of Find’s household(?) wife. The woman besought Lomna to conceal it. It was a grief to him to be betraying Find. Find came then, and Lomna cut ogam on a four-square withe — this is what was in it: cuaille fernai ifelaim nargait athaba ifothlacht ifolurg, i.e. for-lurg (“on the track”) — ‘a woman’s husband’s fool; a harlot with a warrior-band hidden; heather on the naked back of Luigne.’ Now Find understood the tale, and it was near to(?) the woman. The woman understood it was through Lomna it was known, and she sent messengers from her to Coirpre that he should come to slay the fool. Now there came a codal for his head and Coirpre brought it with him. Then Find came to the… and saw the body without a head. “A body here without a head,” said Find. “Find out for us,” said the fían, “whose it is.” Then Find put his thumb in his mouth and sang by teinm laígda and said: Niconruba arduene niconrúba for Lúigne — contoboing nais conepert: ni con ruba torc, ni contorgi, ni conarbert a lige Lómna. Coland Lómna indso, said Find. “His enemies have taken his head from him — ticsaid (i.e. they strike) to the… and a scattering on the track.” Find went on the track of the noble men and found Coirpre in a tent cooking fish on a spit — and Lomna’s head on a spike at the fire. Three companies had divided what had been boiled of the fish — Coirpre had divided it into three nines, and he had not put… about the head’s mouth at that. A dispute with the fían, and then he said: Orc brecc bronnfind, i.e. a salmon from a(?); that is the… The second company then — Coirpre divided again in the former manner; the head said again: Rorannais rand fofael athraind rand athbaig iarmuig medbae mosbatoich mír metáil bidfuatni fianna lib Luagni. “Put out the head,” said Coirpre, “for it is an ill word for us.” The head said from outside: Romechutar clethi cuire rith rurthig ágae catha cetambá mescbuit ba comaelib moaige ba cofarninda no nimda bid mor ag tein doallasfaid Lúigne la Find then.

• Patraic (Patrick), from patricius; patricius, i.e. father of the citizens. Otherwise patricius — he who sits (or resides) at the king’s side.

• Pell (a skin), from pellis.

• Pennait (penance), from paenitentia — or pennait, i.e. a pain-place, i.e. a place where one is pained.

• Pecad (sin), from peccatum.

• Patu, i.e. poithó, i.e. poi, i.e. a foot, and tó then for… the patu (or pato) — its foot, for not smaller is the… under it than over it above.

• Propost (a provost), i.e. prepost, i.e. praepositus.

• Port, from portus.

• Pairche (a parish), from parochia.

• Párn, i.e. the name of a sea-monster — not every joint(?) is served from it; it is no wonder to anyone who asks from which the monster is that is called parn, and suchlike.

• Puingcne, i.e. a scriple of… that is — the Irish scriple then, i.e. opuingc.

• Pinginn salund imbe, i.e. seland cernae that is (i.e. offaing).

• Páin (a loaf), i.e. bread — from pane. This is in the saying of Echach mac Luchta: mo tri finde fommgellsat imailt Echach ailchedáil gaire de loelig find forscing scailter codípil promtir pain la pugin puincern laasial cenach cermnas comilc coic bo bithbí codamuic midligen goss gessan cenosmessed conách inabethu baa.

• Puincern then, i.e. a measure-cup that divides, and a measure of… i.e. the mead therein.

• Pissire, i.e. pissairo, i.e. a broad-headed tree that is used for measuring a pennyweight, i.e. equal in weight to seven grains of true wheat — and it divides the… and the… of water, and it does not settle hard (i.e. of it). Piss then is the name of the tree or the…; Piss then is a name for a penny — a pennyweight then is the… of that tree.

• Pénd (a pen), from penno — pend, i.e. from penna.

• Pairt (a part), from pars.

• Pertic (a perch), i.e. from pertica, i.e. a land-measure pole.

• Póc (a kiss), i.e. pác, quasi pax, i.e. from pace — for the kiss is a sign of peace.

• Proind (a meal), from prandium.

• Prúll, i.e. great magnifying and exalting. As said the daughter of úi Dulsaine the woman-smith to Senchán Torpéist: himum loscit modínó prúll. The poetess answered of Senchán’s household, i.e. “the craftsman mac húi Dulsaine of Lia Thurrsaig thull.” It was from there it came to Senchán — that which was cast upon him: a journey to Man, i.e. on a… journey, to put a circuit into it, and fifty poets his number, besides poetesses. There never was before any poet such a band as was about Senchán, besides his sage’s dress; that was the gratitude of the men of Ireland’s servants, which the other poets had put about them. Now when they had come together upon the sea and a storm was cast against the land, a misshapen lad addressed the land after them. “You will not let me with you,” said he. They all looked at him; his appearance was not comely to them nor his being let with them, for he was not alike to one whom… on his appearance. Now when he put his finger on his forehead, streams of foul sharpness used to break through his ears backward; crooked over his crown — it was like the dropping of a distillation, his head having melted over… of his head and of his skull. It was not a stopping of foul eruptions however. A hedgehog’s cunning is put in his eye; swifter than a mill-wheel its looking; as black as death his face; set in his… his red cheeks; longer than a smith’s… his nose; fluttering like a blister at the boiling of… sucking and letting out his breath; no order touched his red(?) lips as they touched his mouth to the fire; swifter than a snail’s… on the ground; yellower than a gold point his teeth; grey as a… their base; the two legs bare, slender, very speckled under him; his two heels yellow, speckle-black; his shin like a distaff; his thigh like a…; his buttock like a half-food; his brow like a sack-bag; his neck like a crane’s neck; the size of a miller’s… his head; forked like branches his hands; like a slave’s fist his fists. The many-coloured rag of a garment that was on him would not keep him from going on a journey alone, unless a stone were put on it. Now he called out aloud and said to Senchán: “I will be more profitable to you,” said he, “than that poet, or the arrogant, foolish, mighty one that is about you.” “Tell with you,” said Senchán, “come you after the track into the currach.” “Let us wait for you,” said he. He stepped onto the track [into the currach], and swifter than a… after a summons, or a griffin to its prey, or a hawk to a cliff — the speed he took so that he was in the currach; and it was a wonder that the currach was not sunk, since they had poled forward on one side and the other side for him, and they said as it were by one mouth: “A monster has landed you, Senchán, and it will be the same for your people until you reach land.” It is from there he was named Senchán Torpéist, i.e. Senchán whom a monster landed. They went then to Man and found their fleet on land. As they were on the strand they saw the sentuinde — the grey-haired, ill-graced old woman — on the rock: sentuinde, i.e. a hag, as the poet says:

  Sentuind 7 senbachlach / ropses rapus a crinfes / acht noconfacnat mac de / isni thabair a primles (i.e. a prim-gin).

  So was the hag on the strand gathering sea-wrack and sea-fruit besides: grey her feet and her hands, but no good garment on her; she had the… of hunger with her — a pity that was, for that woman-smith had been the daughter of úi Dulsaine of Muscraige Liac thúill in the territory of úa Fidgenti, and had gone on a circuit of Ireland and Scotland until all her people died. Now the craftsman mac húi Dulsaine, her brother, was seeking her through Ireland but found her not. Now when the sentuinde saw the poets she began to question them. One of them said: “It is well you question, Senchán — poet of Ireland, that is.” “will you have service from me, Senchán,” said she, “for good manners?” “you shall have,” said Senchán. “I am not learned in every… What is the bag-like withered…?” “What is its half-question?” said she. Senchán and all the poets were silent. Then the aforementioned lad leapt forward before Senchán and said: “Hag,” said he, “you shall not go to Senchán’s side — you are not fitting for him; but serve me, for none other of your people will serve you.” “A question then for the woman-smith — what is the half-line?” “Not,” said she.

  domhuin charrgi móri Manand / dorónad mor saland sund.

  “And this half-line,” then, “what is its half? — imumm loiscet modé nó prull.” “I shall cast it on you, Senchán, if you can it,” said the lad again. “A question then — what is it with you?” said she. “Not,” said he. “The craftsman mac húi Dulsine of Liac Thursige thull.” “That is true,” said Senchán, “it is you — the woman-smith, the daughter of úi Dulsine, who has been sought through Ireland and Scotland.” “It is I indeed,” said she. Then he was taken by Senchán, and a wonderful garment was put upon her, and she came with Senchán to Ireland. Now when they reached Ireland they saw the aforementioned lad before them, and he was then a noble radiant youth: a leaflike eye in his head, golden-yellow hair on him — comelier than the men of the world, both in form and clothing. He went after that on Senchán’s people leftward, and never appeared from that time — so there is no doubt that that was the spirit of poetry.

Letter Fourteen — R #

• Rechtaire (a steward), i.e. rector-airge [leg. rector a rege?].
• Ross — three things it denotes: ross a wood, ross flax, ross water — a different reason for each of their namings: ross fid-buide first, i.e. rói oss; ross lín then, i.e. ró-ías; ross uisce then — ro-foss, for there is nothing but… of dead water.
• Réim, i.e. the name of a doorkeeper, because everything orderly(?) he brings on their faces to each.
• Rinntaid, i.e. the name of a man who… — a pointing of every hardy or skilful thing.
• Rot (a road), i.e. rout, i.e. ro-sét, i.e. greater than a sét, i.e. a path for one animal. Now there are many names for roads: sét, rót, ramut, slige, lamrotae, tuagrotae, bóthar. Sét first, as we have said; rout, i.e. where a chariot and a horseman could go — it was made for the breadth of a…; rámut, i.e. greater than a rót, i.e. an opening that is on the royal forts — every vassal out of the land who comes to it is bound to clear it; slige then, where chariots pass each other — it was made for the meeting of two chariots, i.e. a king’s chariot and a bishop’s chariot, so that each of them passed the other; lamróta, i.e. between two ways — a way through the north-side of a…, another through its south-side — it was made for their…; tuagróta — a road on which…, a road for going to a ridge or a mountain — this then is its reward: a nameless name… each year [leg. a namelessness — each fort ploughs it every other year]; bóthar then, i.e. a space for two cows — one along it lengthwise, the other across it, their calves or their little calves to(?) it; if it be behind the cow it is not(?) it. There are three cleanings for each of them — three seasons at which they are cleaned: the season of horse-harness, the season of…, the season of garnering. These are the three cleanings: the clearing of its woods and its water and its stones. These are the things for which they are cleaned: lest its chariot be hindered in going over…, lest its horses be hurt going to a fair, its stones lest anyone be hurt on it coming or going against it, etc.
• Reo, i.e. Greek — reo in Greek is ‘gelu’ (frost) in Latin.
• Ringcne, quasi quinque. From there said Ferches — when Find úa Baiscne was… every five men after their number — when Mac Con sent for the muster of the fían to him, i.e. to Ferches; then Ferches rose through his cold… past Find and let fly the spear at Lugaid so that he killed him, and said ringcne ris rig. Find had done… on the reckoning of every five — carincne arnuair. Ringcne then, i.e. quasi quinque, etc.
• Robuth, quasi rem-fuath, or ro-buth then, i.e. rem-bubtad.
• Retglu, i.e. ret-gle, i.e. a clear star.
• Roth (a wheel), i.e. from rota, i.e. from a circle.
• Rudrad, i.e. ro-dúrad.
• Rucht (a tunic), i.e. a garment. As said Fercertne: hindeich ruchtaib derga.
• Ruam, quasi Rom, i.e. from Roma.
• Rangc, i.e. the sixth kind of tonsure. Rangc then, i.e. the high…; rach then — that is the… of the tonsure from forehead to crown; ro-máile between the two all over; saltriasa, i.e. that is a baldness in the front of the crown so that its… of yellow in the crown like a man’s heel through…; buide reid, i.e. a baldness of the whole head there, or a baldness that is smooth-bare. Imspelp then, i.e. hair on each of the two side-heads and a… from the forehead to the back — six kinds of tonsure those.
• Rigan (a queen), i.e. ríg-bean or ríg-ein.
• Raithnech, from ratis in Latin, i.e. raith or raithnech.
• Ruam, i.e. ro-éim, i.e. a herb that gives a colour or hue to the face so that it is red; from where is said ruamnaig or ruanaid.
• Roscad (rhetoric), i.e. ró-ind-sce, i.e. the order of speech that has come — scath; from where is said Dúil Roscadach (the Rhetorical Primer).
• Relec (a graveyard), i.e. rélic, from reliquiae sanctorum. Relec then, i.e. réill of her…
• Rop and rap: rop then is every animal that gores, as cows are; rap then is every animal that drags, as swine are — yet they are commonly used in turn for each other. Rap then is from rapio; robb from robustus.
• Ribar, i.e. a sieve.
• Riss, i.e. every story and tidings. Risse then, i.e. stories. From there said Coirpre mac Etnai in the first satire that was made in Ireland before: cendíl dáime rissi robsean Bressi, i.e. to Bres mac Elathain that.
• Ruadrofessa, i.e. a name of the Dagda.
• Ruamni, i.e. ais, i.e. a… and thanks.

Letter Fifteen — S #

• Sanct Brigit — i.e. that is naBm-Brigit.
• Súil (an eye), quasi sól, for it is from it the light is to a man; sollsi from súil.
• Solas (light), from sol.
• Sobraighit, from sobrius.
• Subaig, from sobrietas.
• Senod (a synod), from synodus.
• Salond, i.e. sál-ond — a stone of a heel; from there is sáile.
• Sanas (a glossary/whisper), i.e. sain-fiss, special knowledge.
• Sroll, i.e. light; from where with the Irish díu sroll, i.e. dies solis.
• San, i.e.… that cools.
• Ségamlae, i.e. lacht-maire (a milk-house); séig then, i.e. milk — from where is said in the Bretha Nemid: messtar bú foraségamlae, i.e. over the milk-house.
• Sméroit, i.e. smér teine and fuait (foit) fuigell, i.e. a judgement of fire.
• Sirem, i.e. because it creeps from place to place in the head and in the whole body.
• Searr, i.e. from serra (a saw).
• Snuad, i.e. hair.
• Secc, from siccus (dry).
• Secnab, i.e. secundab — that is, a second abbot or second to the abbot, or secnab, “following the abbot”.
• Secht, quasi sept, from septem.
• Se, from sex. Sea, from…
• Snad, i.e. hair. [Margin: Snuadh.]
• Spongc, i.e. from spongia.
• Sabaltair, i.e. a burying-place, from sepultura — i.e. relicc duinebaith, i.e. a great plain where heathen used to be buried.
• Seist, i.e. the name of midday, i.e. quasi sext, from sexta hora.
• Spirut (spirit), from spiritus.
• Spiracul, from spiraculum.
• Screpul, quasi scripul, from scripulus (scripulum).
• Snáthad (a needle), i.e. snáth-sét — the path of a thread; the hole of a needle.
• Saim, i.e. every fitting, whether between two men or between two horses or between two oxen or between two cows it be.
• Simin, i.e. séim a hinne.
• Sceng, i.e. a girdle — from where is im-sceng, i.e. [a little hut] with a girdle around it; from where is said ferr imscing ádbai.
• Sacart (a priest), i.e. sacerd, from sacerdos — or sacart, i.e. a sage of the right order.
• Sorb, i.e. a fault, quasi sord, i.e. from sordidus.
• Slábhradh (a chain), i.e. slab aríadh [margin: slabhar-iadh], i.e. a narrow fastening — slabar is everything narrow; esslabar is everything wide.
• Sámrad (summer), i.e. sam quasi Hebrew — sol quasi Latin; from where is said Samson, “sol eorum”; samrad then, i.e. riad rithes grian — then it is that its light and its height are greatest.
• Salt, from saltus, i.e. a leap.
• Sean (old), i.e. senex.
• Seindser, i.e. senex and fer.
• Salcuait, i.e. sal-chóit, i.e. cóit caill in the compound; salcuait then, i.e. a great wood of… that is in it.
• Sádb, i.e. so-ádb — pleasant.
• Sine, i.e. quasi sine [sníge?].
• Serb, i.e. the daughter of Scath the druid of the Connachtmen — it was she who planted the trees of Athlone, i.e. Brón and Dub and Dúr and Díbeoil, when she dealt the three portions to Cormac Conlongas mac Conchobair at Athlone.
• Sín (a storm), i.e. everything round — from where sín maic Máin, i.e. the collar that was about his neck to confirm truth: when he would speak truth it became wide about his neck; when it was false it became narrow.
• Ség, i.e. a wild deer; from where is said séghuinech, i.e. a man who wounds deer — ségu, i.e. wild deer.
• Serrach (a foal), i.e. serr every crying and every loud thing; from where is said serrech leam, i.e. loud with me. Serrech then, i.e. ser-ech — after its mother… is at grazing.
• Scuit (Irish), i.e. from Scota, the daughter of Forann king of Egypt.
• Sáth (food), i.e. nourishment; from where saithech is said.
• Sanb, i.e. the son of Augaine; from where is said Mag Sainb.
• Seng, i.e. every comely thing in the Dúil Feda Máir.
• Sén, i.e. a net wherein birds are taken; from where is said senbretha and senairecht.

Letter Sixteen — T #

• Triath (a king), i.e. a king, i.e. because it shelters…
• Ti, i.e. brat, i.e. breo for heat.
• Tort (a loaf), i.e. bread — a name made from sound; from where is said tortine, i.e. a little loaf.
• Toisc (will), i.e. voluntas hominis, i.e. what is pleasant to a man; from which one says toisc dam.
• Triath then — three things it denotes: triath rig, i.e. a land that is pacified; triath muir, i.e. a land that is feared; triath torcc, i.e. a land that is…; they are distinguished then in their meanings: triath then, i.e. rí, i.e. tréith its course; triath muir, i.e. trethan its course; triath torc, i.e. tréthe its course.
• Tinne (fire), i.e. iubar báis, i.e. tindiged, i.e. everything that kindles. Tinde then, i.e. tend eo — eo theinness, i.e. sein-mess, i.e. teinm and every heart that touches it.
• Tech (a house), from tectum.
• Toreicc, i.e. reicc thó — a telling that is made in…
• Torc (a boar), quasi porc, i.e. by letter-change.
• Tarb (a bull), quasi taurb, i.e. from taurus.
• Tethra, i.e. a king of the Fomorians; from where is said in the Colloquy: iter triuna Tethrach.
• Treab (a tribe), i.e. trib, from tribus.
• Tenlaeg, i.e. tene lige.
• Teirt (terce), i.e. the third hour.
• Tód — a name made from sound.
• Temair (Tara), i.e. te múr, the wall of Téa daughter of Lugaid mac Ítha — or a Greek [word] corrupted in it: teomora, i.e. conspicio. Temair then — every place that is conspicuous for viewing between a plain and a house, as is said temair na duath, i.e. a sunny chamber or a hill; temair intige, i.e. a sunny chamber.
• Teim, i.e. everything dark, as is said teimean dorchi or odar.
• Tenlam, i.e. spréd, i.e. teni láma.
• Tailm, i.e. tell-fuaim, i.e. the striking of the… and the…
• Trogein, i.e. gein and tróg, and rightly — the rising of the sun and the sight of its path before the sun in the morning.
• Torb (a crowd), quasi turba, i.e. a company or a number.
• Tipra (a well), quasi topra; tipra then, i.e. te-persain.
• Toth, i.e. every feminine thing and every woman — which is the name of the woman’s member.
• Traseth, i.e. everything neuter and every neutral.
• Tuilm, i.e. the muliebre membrum.
• Taurgein, i.e. a king.
• Tuilgein, i.e. tuli-ghein, i.e. a birth of a household — the tolin of a man as it were a nature that agrees with the truth of the scripture.
• Tuirgin, i.e. tur gina, i.e. a tongue. Otherwise turfgein, quasi gein a tuir, i.e. as there are great pillars sustaining a house and many eyes(?) in it, so is it the teaching of the canonical world — out of the pillar, i.e. the truth of the law of nature. These are the many eyes in the pillar: the many meanings and the many ways of judgement. Tuirgin, i.e. a king, as is said in the Dúil Roscadaig: Nitulaid fri turigen tuiged artuli mára muride, etc. Turagein, i.e. toracht-ghen, i.e. a birth that has reached, i.e. which has reached the nature of another, i.e. the birth of the true nature, as said Fachtna mac Senchada: Furim gein torachta doreit aicned noll o Adam conimtheit tria cach naimsir nadamra codé bratha — nature brings the one life to every certain creature of it, until the last man who will be at the brink of doom. Turgen, i.e. toaeraghen, i.e. a birth (…, i.e. a birth) that is born and its two feet before it. Tobreid then — its…, i.e. that birth in likeness of judgement: the true judge sings the… of nature, and the poets’ rhetoric for the correction of that judgement at last, i.e. in the testimony of the canon. From where is said: Niní nach cen brethemnus berair natbi iarlégind leir lerigther nach fricanoin caid cumustar nach fri haspuc nuasal nastaigther — conad cáid cach raet cocanóin comuaimm.
• Teist (a witness), i.e. from testis.
• Tuarad, i.e. tuar — every dry thing and juice of…
• Torc, i.e. a name for the heart, as said Edan ingen Diancécht: imfoindaim mothuirc, i.e. my mention of my heart.
• Trefocal — i.e. three words that are in it: two words for praising to bring back the reddened(?) to look — the third word, i.e. a word for reddening and for satire.
• Taurthait, i.e. taur-acdither, i.e. a saying for… to cast a cast from you for reaching each thing that is cast at once — the names on it, and it is wounded or struck or killed thereby: from that exorcism then taurthait or turachur is said.
• Tigradus (a householder), i.e. tig auradrus — that is, a house of…
• Tigha, i.e. every last thing — this then is tirad, i.e. the house… of him who parts from the one at last.
• Tugen, quasi togen, i.e. from toga — for toga is a kind of precious garment. Otherwise tugen, i.e. tuge én — for it is of birds’ skins, white and many-coloured, that the poets’ tugen is made, with a girdle of drakes’ necks and of… up to his neck.
• Top, i.e. bidg, i.e. at once. From where is: Nisbeir top tigradus is aite foraciallathar taisic in opund.
• Tamhlachta (a plague-grave), i.e. táimh-slechta: a pestilence that prostrated the people in that place, i.e. the great mortality — the peoples used to come into the great plains so that they might be in one place still before death, because of the burying in those plains, since they said not the mortality… for as many at any time of them as died in the place itself they used to bring to churches, for the people who were alive could not bury them — and from there Tamlachta is named.
• Tendál, i.e. tene-dál, i.e. a fire-assembly; cotenid, i.e. to the fire the gathering is gathered.
• Ussarb (death), i.e. death. From where is said in the Amra Chonrí: ríg rodeat do ussarb an Ulltaib, i.e. he went to the Ulstermen about Conrí’s death.
• Udmat, i.e. uda-mnad, i.e. the tree on which the cattle are tied outside — its joining together.
• Uidim, i.e. the name of the thong through which the tree goes that is on the wattling when it is being closed.
• Ur — three things it denotes: úr first, i.e. earth; and úr, everything new, from where is said imm úr; úr, i.e. every evil thing, from where is said lan daorthae cachnur, i.e. every evil.
• Uch, from aucha, i.e. aurgat feda.
• Uball (an apple), quasi aball — aball however from the city of Étail, whose name is Abellanium — it is from it the seed of the apples was brought by them. Or uball, i.e. eo-ball, i.e. eo a tree and ball of it. Or uball, i.e. Eba eil, i.e. because Eve deceived him in the transgression.
• Uim, i.e. copper/bronze.
• Uinchi etha, i.e. uaite ethae — a measure of grain.
• Ucht nosnae, i.e. ucht os-menta, i.e. the thinking that the poet thinks — the study he studies in his poetry; the place then where it is studied — of it is the name ucht nosnae.

[Codex A ends thus: “…osnae 7 araile. Finit. Amen.”]

Appendix — the Book of Leinster fragment #

[The following fragment from the end of an ancient copy of the foregoing glossary is preserved in the so-called Book of Leinster (Leabhar Laighneach) in the Library of Trinity College, Dublin, H. 2. 18, fo. 144a.]

Fuirim gein toracta — “I maintain the nature to be a reaching birth: nature goes from Adam through every wondrous age to the doom of life; nature brings the one life to every certain creature of it until the last man who shall be at the brink of doom.”

Otherwise Tuirigein, i.e. toerae-geini, i.e. geinnerae — a birth that is born with its two feet before it and its head last. Its… then gives that birth in likeness of judgement: the true judge sings of the nature of the wilderness, and the poets’ rhetoric for the correction of that judgement at last — in the testimony of the canon. From where is said: Ninínech breth berair nád iarlegund léir leraichther nad fricanóin cáid cumtastar, nad friapstal nuasal nascaider, nad fri spirut nsém nertar — conid cád cachrét co canone comfí (“Nothing but a judgement given after diligent reading, nothing but what is gathered by holy canon, nothing but what is bound by a noble apostle, nothing but what is strengthened by a holy spirit — so that everything is holy with the canon of union”).

• Teist, i.e. from the name testis.
• Taurad, i.e. taur every dry thing, and juice and… — taur-suth, i.e. dry juice.
• Torc, i.e. a name for the heart, as said Etan ingen Diancécht: Nifó indam dommo thuircc, i.e. my heart within my breast which is trembling.
• Trefoclae, i.e. three words that are in it: two words for praising to bring back the reddened to look — the third word, i.e. a word for reddening and for satire.
• Taurthait, i.e. taurrachdath, i.e. a saying of… — it casts a cast anew for reaching each thing; it is invoked at once with the names on it, and they are wounded or struck or killed by that visitation — then it was called taurthait.
• Tigrathos, i.e. tiug-aurradass, i.e. a house of every last one — that is, tigradas and astiugaurradfas of him who parted from the… at last.
• Tugen, quasi togen, i.e. from toga. Otherwise tugen, i.e. tuge én — for of birds’ white and many-coloured skins the poet’s tugen is made, with a girdle of drakes’ necks and of ducks’ heads up to his neck, etc.
• Tap, i.e. opund, i.e. bidg. From where is: nibeir tap tigradas isaitte dichíallathar tassec opunn.
• Tamlachta, i.e. tam-slecta, i.e. a pestilence that prostrated people in that place, i.e. the great mortality. The peoples used to come into the great plains so that they might be in one place still before death — because of the burying in those plains, since the mortality would not carry them: for as many at any time as died in the place itself, they used not to bring them to churches, for the people who were alive could not bury them. From there Tamlachta is named.
• Tendál, i.e. tene dál, i.e. a fire-gathering — cotenid, i.e. to the fire the gathering is gathered.
• Ussarb, i.e. death. From where is said in the Amrath Chonrúi: ríg rodet roussarb nUltaib, i.e. he went to the Ulstermen about the death.
• Udmad, i.e. ud and damnad, i.e. a tree over which is… — a branch is taken on the cattle, that they may be tied in it by(?) the udmad.
• Udim, i.e. the name of the thong through which the tree goes that is over the wattling at the udmad.
• Ur — three things it denotes: úr first, i.e. earth; and úr everything new, as is said imb úr (“fresh butter”); úr then, every evil thing, from where is said in the Bretha Nemid: lán dosiathach cach núr, i.e. every evil.
• Uch, from ucha, i.e.…
• Ubull, quasi abull — aball however from the city of Étail whose name is Abellum, i.e. it is from it the seed of the apples was brought before.
• Uimm, i.e. copper.
• Uinci etha, i.e. uaitni (or uaitiu) etha — a grain-measure.
• Ucht osnee, i.e. hucht os-menta, i.e. the thinking the poet thinks, i.e. the study he studies in his poetry; the place then where it is studied — of it is the name ucht osnae.

Finis.

The scribe’s colophon #

There follows this note:

Insatharn rianotlaicc iridiu 7 arcomairci dé 7 amathar dam 7 acluain fata atu conchubar qui scripsit.

Today is the Saturday before Christmas, and under the protection of God and His Mother am I, and in Cluain Fata (now Clonfad, in the County of Westmeath) am I, Conchubar, qui scripsit.

Note on Mac dá Cherda’s quatrain #

The Book of Leinster (fo. 158a2) also contains Mac dá Cherda’s quatrain and the note thereon, printed above:

Mac dacherdda cecinit forCnucc Raphann: Indráth hí forsdanfil — imbíd tiprán fo án gil (i.e. fóstáib argit) — babind gáir chaille lonche — imráith Fiachach maic Monche.

Ana, i.e. the little vessels that used to be on the wells for the wearied men to drink out of; they used to put these vessels on the wells, and they were of silver…

[The file ends here, mid-note.]