cathach

Irish

Etymology 1

From Old Irish cathach (“relic, reliquary”).

Noun

cathach m or f (genitive singular cathaigh or cathaí)

1. battle reliquary

Declension

Declension of cathach

First declension

Bare forms (no plural of this noun) Case Singular Nominative cathach Vocative a chathaigh Genitive cathaigh Dative cathach

Forms with the definite article: Case Singular Nominative an cathach Genitive an chathaigh Dative leis an gcathach don chathach

Alternative declension

Declension of cathach

Second declension

Bare forms (no plural form of this noun) Case Singular Nominative cathach Vocative a chathach Genitive cathaí Dative cathach

Forms with the definite article Case Singular Nominative an chathach Genitive na cathaí Dative leis an gcathach don chathach

Etymology 2

From Old Irish cathach (“bellicose, warlike; vehement, forceful”). By surface analysis, cath (“battle”) +‎ -ach (adjectival suffix).

Adjective

cathach (genitive singular masculine cathaigh, genitive singular feminine cathaí, plural cathacha, comparative cathaí)

1. battling, warlike

Declension

Declension of cathach

	Singular		Plural (m/f)
Positive	Masculine	Feminine	(strong noun)	(weak noun)
Nominative	cathach	chathach	cathacha; chathacha²
Vocative	chathaigh		cathacha
Genitive		cathaí	cathacha	cathach
Dative	cathach; chathach¹	chathach; chathaigh (archaic)	cathacha; chathacha²
Comparative	níos cathaí
Superlative	is cathaí

¹ When the preceding noun is lenited and governed by the definite article.
² When the preceding noun ends in a slender consonant.

Alternative forms

• cathaitheach

Etymology 3

Adjective

cathach (genitive singular masculine cathaigh, genitive singular feminine cathaí, plural cathacha, comparative cathaí)

1. Alternative form of cathaitheach (“tempting; regretful, sorrowful”)

Declension

Declension of cathach

	Singular		Plural (m/f)
Positive	Masculine	Feminine	(strong noun)	(weak noun)
Nominative	cathach	chathach	cathacha; chathacha²
Vocative	chathaigh		cathacha
Genitive		cathaí	cathacha	cathach
Dative	cathach; chathach¹	chathach; chathaigh (archaic)	cathacha; chathacha²
Comparative	níos cathaí
Superlative	is cathaí

¹ When the preceding noun is lenited and governed by the definite article.
² When the preceding noun ends in a slender consonant.

Mutation

Irish mutation
Radical	Lenition	Eclipsis
cathach	chathach	gcathach
Note: Some of these forms may be hypothetical. Not every possible mutated form of every word actually occurs.

Further reading

• Ó Dónaill, Niall (1977) “cathach”, in Foclóir Gaeilge–Béarla, Dublin: An Gúm, →ISBN
• Gregory Toner, Sharon Arbuthnot, Máire Ní Mhaonaigh, Marie-Luise Theuerkauf, Dagmar Wodtko, editors (2019), “1 cathach (‘bellicose’)”, in eDIL: Electronic Dictionary of the Irish Language
• Gregory Toner, Sharon Arbuthnot, Máire Ní Mhaonaigh, Marie-Luise Theuerkauf, Dagmar Wodtko, editors (2019), “2 cathach (‘relic’)”, in eDIL: Electronic Dictionary of the Irish Language

Old Irish

Etymology

From cath (“battle”) +‎ -ach.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈkaθax/

Adjective

cathach

1. bellicose, warlike
2. vehement, forceful

Inflection

o/ā-stem
Singular	Masculine	Feminine	Neuter
Nominative	cathach	cathach	cathach
Vocative	cathaig* cathach**
Accusative	cathach	cathaig
Genitive	cathaig	cathaige	cathaig
Dative	cathuch	cathaig	cathuch
Plural	Masculine	Feminine/neuter
Nominative	cathaig	cathacha
Vocative	cathachu cathacha†
Accusative	cathachu cathacha†
Genitive	cathach
Dative	cathachaib
Notes	*modifying a noun whose vocative is different from its nominative **modifying a noun whose vocative is identical to its nominative † not when substantivized

Derived terms

• cathaige (“warlike spirit”)

Descendants

• Irish: cathach

Noun

cathach f (genitive cathaige, nominative plural cathacha)

1. relic, reliquary (from the use of relics in battle to ensure victory)

Inflection

Feminine ā-stem
	Singular	Dual	Plural
Nominative	cathachL	cathaigL	cathachaH
Vocative	cathachL	cathaigL	cathachaH
Accusative	cathaigN	cathaigL	cathachaH
Genitive	cathaigeH	cathachL	cathachN
Dative	cathaigL	cathachaib	cathachaib
Initial mutations of a following adjective: H = triggers aspiration L = triggers lenition N = triggers nasalization

Descendants

• Irish: cathach

Mutation

Old Irish mutation
Radical	Lenition	Nasalization
cathach	chathach	cathach pronounced with /ɡ(ʲ)-/
Note: Some of these forms may be hypothetical. Not every possible mutated form of every word actually occurs.

Further reading

• Gregory Toner, Sharon Arbuthnot, Máire Ní Mhaonaigh, Marie-Luise Theuerkauf, Dagmar Wodtko, editors (2019), “1 cathach (‘bellicose’)”, in eDIL: Electronic Dictionary of the Irish Language
• Gregory Toner, Sharon Arbuthnot, Máire Ní Mhaonaigh, Marie-Luise Theuerkauf, Dagmar Wodtko, editors (2019), “2 cathach (‘relic’)”, in eDIL: Electronic Dictionary of the Irish Language