Chapter 18

OF DERIVATION.

The Parts of Speech which are formed by derivation from other words are Nouns, Adjectives, and Verbs. These are chiefly derived from Nouns and Adjectives, and a few from Verbs.

I. NOUNS.

Derivative Nouns may be classed as follows, according to the varieties of their termination.

1. Abstract Nouns in _as_, formed from Adjectives or Nouns; as, from ceart _just_, ceartas _justice_; from diomhan _idle, vain_, diomhanas _idleness, vanity_; from caraid _a friend_, cairdeas contracted for caraideas _friendship_; from namhaid _an enemy_, naimhdeas contracted for namhaideas _enmity_.

2. Abstract Nouns in _achd_, formed from Adjectives, and sometimes, though more rarely, from Verbs and Nouns; as, from naomh _holy_, naomhachd _holiness_; from domhain _deep_, doimhneachd contracted for domhaineachd _depth_; from righ _a king_, rioghachd _a kingdom_; coimhid _to keep_, coimheadachd _keeping_; clachair _a mason_, clachaireachd _mason-work_; gobhain _a smith_, goibhneachd contracted for gobhaineachd _iron-work_, or rather _the trade or occupation of a smith_.

3. Abstract Nouns formed from the genitive of Adjectives, by adding _e_; as, from dall gen. doill _blind_, doille _blindness_; from geal gen. gil _white_, gile _whiteness_; from leasg gen. leisg _lazy_, leisge _laziness_; tearc gen. teirc _rare_, teirce _rarity_; trom gen. truim _heavy_, truime _heaviness_; truagh gen. truaigh _unhappy_, truaighe _misery_; uasal gen. {165} uasail _noble_, uasaile contr. uaisle or by metath. uailse _nobility_.

4. Abstract Nouns in _ad_, formed from the Comparative of Adjectives, and used in speaking of the degree of a quality; as, gilead _whiteness_, boidhchead _beauty_, doimhnead _depth_, lughad _smallness_, tainead _thinness_; these are construed with the Prepositions _de_, _air_; as, cha n-fhaca mi a samhuil air bhoidhchead, _I have not seen her match for beauty_; air a lughad or d' a lughad, _however small it be_.

5. Nouns in _air_ or _oir_, _ach_, _iche_, derived, most of them, from nouns, and signifying persons or agents, as, p[`i]obair _a player on the pipe_, from p[`i]ob _a pipe_; cl[`a]rsair _a player on the harp_, from cl[`a]rsach _a harp_; cealgair or cealgoir _a deceiver_, from cealg _deceit_; sealgair or sealgoir _a huntsman_, from sealg _hunting_; marcach _a rider_, from marc _a horse_; athach _a man of terror, a gigantic figure_, from atha _fear_; oibriche _a workman_, from obair _work_; sgeulaiche _a reciter of tales_, from sgeul _a tale_; ceannaiche _a merchant_, from ceannaich _to buy_[113].

6. Diminutives in _an_, and in _ag_ or _og_, formed from Nouns or Adjectives; as, lochan _a small lake_, from loch _a lake_; from braid _theft_, bradag _a thievish girl_; from ciar _dark-coloured_, ciarag _a little dark-coloured creature_. These Diminutives are often formed from the Genitive of their Primitives; as, from feur gen. feoir _grass_, feoirnean _a pile of grass_; moll gen. muill _chaff_, muillean _a particle of chaff_; folt gen. fuilt _hair_, fuiltean _a single hair_; clag gen. cluig _a bell_, cluigean _a little bell_; gual gen. guail _coal_, guailnean _a cinder_; sm[`u]r gen. sm[`u]ir _dust_, sm[`u]irnean _a particle of dust, a mote_; cl[`o]imh _plumage_, cl[`o]imhneag _a small feather, a flake of snow_.

Some Nouns are formed in _an_, which are not Diminutives; as, from l[`u]b _to bend_, l[`u]ban _a bow_; from buail _to beat, thresh_, {166} buailtean _a beater_, or _thresher_, applied to that part of the flail which threshes out the grain.

7. Collective Nouns in _ridh_ or _ri_, derived from Nouns or Adjectives; as, from [`o]g _young_, [`o]igridh _youth_, in the collective sense of the word; from mac _a son_, macruidh _sons, young men_, Psal. cxlviii. 12;[114] from laoch _a hero_, laochruidh _a band of heroes_, Psal. xxix. 1. Macfarlan's Paraph. vi. 15, from ceol _music_, ceolraidh _the muses_. A. Macdonald's Songs, p. 7, from cos the _foot_, coisridh _infantry, a party on foot_. McIntyre's Songs, Edin. 1768, p. 110, from gas _a lad_, gasradh _a band of domestic attendants_. O'Brien's Ir. Dict. voc. gas; eachradh, eachruith _cavalry_, Fingal. IV. 299, Carthon, 59.--This termination is probably the Noun ruith _a troop_. See Lhuyd et O'Brien, in voc.[115]

8. Nouns in _ach_, chiefly Patronymics, formed from Proper Names, thus; from Donull _Donald_, is formed Donullach _a man of the name of Macdonald_; from Griogar _Gregor_, Griogarach _a Macgregor_; so Leodach _a Macleod_, Granntach _a Grant_, &c., from Albainn _Scotland_, Albannach _a Scotsman_; from Eirin _Ireland_, Eirineach _an Irishman_. These Nouns form their Plural regularly, Donullaich, Leodaich, Albannaich, Eirinich. So the following _Gentile_ Nouns, which occur in the Gaelic Scriptures, are regularly formed from their respective Primitives, Partuich _Parthians_, Medich _Medes_, Elamuich _Elamites_, Acts ii. 9. Macedonaich _Macedonians_, 2 Cor. ix. 2, 4. See also Gen. xv. 19, 20, 21; Exod. xxiii. 23, 28.[116].

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9. Collective Nouns in _ach_; as, duille _a leaf_, duilleach _foliage_; giuthas _fir_, giuthasach _a fir wood_; iughar _yew_, iugharach _a yew copse_; fiadh _a deer_, fiadhach _deer, a herd of deer_; crion _diminutive, shrunk_, crionach _decayed wood_.

II. ADJECTIVES.

1. Adjectives in _ach_, formed generally from Nouns; as, from f[`i]rinn _truth_, f[`i]rinneach _true, faithful_; from sunnt _glee_, sunntach _cheerful_; cr[`a]dh _pain_, cr[`a]iteach _painful_; togradh _desire_, togarrach _willing, desirous_.

2. Adjectives in _mhor_ or _or_, derived from Nouns; as, from [`a]dh _felicity_, adhmhor _happy, blessed_; from feoil _flesh_, feolmhor _carnal_; from neart _strength_, neartmhor _strong_.

3. Adjectives in _ail_ derived from Nouns; as, from fear _man_, fearail _manful_; from caraid _a friend_, cairdail contr. for caraidail _friendly_; from namhaid _an enemy_, naimhdail contr. for namhaidail _hostile_; from s[`u]rd _alertness_, surdail _alert_[117].

4. A few Adjectives in _ta_ or _da_, derived from Nouns; as, Gaelta _belonging to the Gael_; Eireanda _Irish_; Romhanta _Roman_; _Kirk._ f[`i]reanta _righteous_, Matt. xxiii. 35.

III. VERBS.

Verbs in _ich_, for the most part Transitive, and implying causation, derived from Nouns or Adjectives; as, from geal {168} _white_, gealaich _to whiten_; naomh _holy_, naomhaich _to sanctify_; cruinn _round_, cruinnich _to gather together_; lamh _the hand_, laimhsich _to handle_; cuimhne _memory_, cuimhnich _to remember_. A few are Intransitive; as, from crith _tremor_, criothnuich _to tremble_; fann _feeble_, fannuich _to faint_.