Armstrong's Dictionary (1)
In Litir Bheag 792, I was telling you about Robert Archibald Armstrong, a teacher and lexicographer from Perthshire. He made a Gaelic dictionary in 1825. We looked at words from that dictionary in Litir Bheag 471 and Litir Bheag 472. The dictionary is two hundred years old this year. Thus, it is appropriate to take another look at it.
I chose words that start with each letter of the alphabet. To begin with the word àille. It means ‘beauty, handsomeness, comeliness’. From àille, we get the words àilleach ‘beautiful’ and àilleachd ‘beauty’. There is also àilleagan – ‘a term of affection for a young person; a pretty maid’ and also ‘a little jewel’. Àilleagan.
Now the letter ‘b’, and a place-name: Baile-Mhòid with ‘mhòid’ spelt M-H-accented O-I-D. It means ‘Rothesay, literally, the town where the court of justice is held’. It also means ‘the town where the Mod is held’! Today, [the] scholars say that Rothesay is Baile Bhòid with a ‘b’, meaning ‘the town of Bute’. It was recorded like that at the end of the eighteenth century.
Under the letter ‘c’, I have a useful word – caog. It means ‘wink’ or ‘take aim by shutting the eye’ – something an archer does. It also means ‘connive’. There are other words based on caog – such as caogach ‘winking, squint-eyed’ and caog-shùileach ‘squint-eyed, winking, blinking’. Caog-shùileach.
Now, the letter ‘d’. Do you understand this – dearg-shùil? It means ‘red eye, bloodshot eye’. From the noun, we get the adjective dearg-shùileach ‘having red or bloodshot eyes’. Dearg-shùileach.
And under ‘e’, I have this – eudach. E-U-D-A-C-H. It means ‘jealous’ or ‘zealous’. But in Armstrong’s dictionary, it also means ‘clothes, dress, garment ...’ It reminds us that eudach was an old form of the word aodach.
Faclair Armstrong (1)
Ann an Litir Bheag seachd ceud, naochad ʼs a dhà (792), bha mi ag innse dhuibh mu Raibeart Gilleasbuig Armstrong, fear-teagaisg agus faclairiche à Siorrachd Pheairt. Rinn e faclair Gàidhlig ann an ochd ceud deug is còig air fhichead (1825). Thug sinn sùil air faclan fillte bhon fhaclair sin ann an Litrichean Beaga ceithir cheud, seachdad ʼs a h-aon (471) agus ceithir cheud, seachdad ʼs a dhà (472). Tha am faclair dà cheud bliadhna a dh’aois am-bliadhna. Mar sin, tha e iomchaidh sùil às ùr a thoirt air.
Thagh mi faclan a tha a’ tòiseachadh le gach litir dhen aibidil. An toiseach, am facal àille. Tha e a’ ciallachadh ‘beauty, handsomeness, comeliness’. Às àille, tha sinn a’ faighinn nam faclan àilleach ‘beautiful’ agus àilleachd ‘beauty’. Tha àilleagan ann cuideachd – ‘a term of affection for a young person; a pretty maid’ agus cuideachd ‘a little jewel’. Àilleagan.
A-nise, an litir ‘b’, agus ainm-àite: Baile-Mhòid le ‘mhòid’ air a litreachadh M-H-O fada-I-D. Tha e a’ ciallachadh ‘Rothesay, literally, the town where the court of justice is held’. Tha e cuideachd a’ ciallachadh ‘the town where the Mod is held’! An-diugh, tha na sgoilearan ag ràdh gur e Rothesay Baile Bhòid le ‘b’, a’ ciallachadh ‘the town of Bute’. Chaidh a chlàradh mar sin ann am bàrdachd Ghàidhlig aig deireadh an ochdamh linn deug.
Fon litir ‘c’, tha facal feumail agam – caog. Tha e a’ ciallachadh ‘wink’ no ‘take aim by shutting the eye’ – rud a bhios boghadair a’ dèanamh. Tha e cuideachd a’ ciallachadh ‘connive’. Tha faclan eile stèidhichte air caog – leithid caogach ‘winking, squint-eyed’ agus caog-shùileach ‘squint-eyed, winking, blinking’. Caog-shùileach.
A-nise, an litir ‘d’. A bheil sibh a’ tuigsinn seo – dearg-shùil? Tha e a’ ciallachadh ‘red eye, bloodshot eye’. Bhon ainmear, tha sinn a’ faighinn a’ bhuadhair dearg-shùileach ‘having red or bloodshot eyes’. Dearg-shùileach.
Agus, fo ‘e’, tha seo agam – eudach. E-U-D-A-C-H. Tha e a’ ciallachadh ‘jealous’ no ‘zealous’. Ach, ann am faclair Armstrong, tha e cuideachd a’ ciallachadh ‘clothes, dress, garment ...’ Tha e a’ cur nar cuimhne gun robh eudach na sheann riochd air an fhacal aodach.
