diabhal

Irish

Alternative forms

Etymology

From Old Irish díabul, from Latin diabolus (“devil”), from Ancient Greek διάβολος (diábolos, “slanderer”).

Pronunciation
  • (Munster) IPA(key): /ˈdʲiəl̪ˠ/
  • (Connacht) IPA(key): /ˈdʲauəlˠ/, /ˈdʲauəl̪ˠ/[1] (corresponding to the form deabhal)
  • (Ulster) IPA(key): /ˈdʲɨ̞wəlˠ/, /ˈdʲɨ̞wəl̪ˠ/, /ˈdʲɪwəlˠ/, /ˈdʲɪwəl̪ˠ/[2]; (in oaths) /dʲuːlˠ/, /dʲuːl̪ˠ/[3]

Noun

diabhal m (genitive singular diabhail, nominative plural diabhail)

  1. devil
    Ní dual don diabhal bheith díomhaoin
    No rest for the wicked
    (literally, “It is not in the devil's nature to be idle”)
    Synonym: áibhirseoir

Declension
Declension of diabhal

First declension

Bare forms:

Case Singular Plural
Nominative diabhal diabhail
Vocative a dhiabhail a dhiabhala
Genitive diabhail diabhal
Dative diabhal diabhail

Forms with the definite article:

Case Singular Plural
Nominative an diabhal na diabhail
Genitive an diabhail na ndiabhal
Dative leis an diabhal

don diabhal

 leis na diabhail

Derived terms
  • crosdiabhal (“Devil’s imp, mischievous person”)
  • diabhaldánacht f (“devilry, diabolic art”)
  • diabhalta (“mischievous; very”, adjective)
  • diabhal Tasmánach (“Tasmanian devil”)
  • diabhlaí (“diabolic, devilish”, adjective)
  • diabhlánach m (“mischievous person; rogue, rascal”)
  • diabhlóir m (“wicked person; mischievous person”)
  • diabhlaíocht f (“devilry; wizardry, witchcraft; devilment, mischievousness; cursing”)

Determiner

diabhal

  1. (colloquial) no, not a (emphatic)
    diabhal focal ― not a single word
    diabhal duine ― no one at all

Synonyms
  • don deabhal (Connacht)
  • don diabhal

Mutation
Irish mutation
Radical Lenition Eclipsis
diabhal dhiabhal ndiabhal
Note: Some of these forms may be hypothetical. Not every possible mutated form of every word actually occurs.

References
  1. Finck, F. N. (1899), Die araner mundart, Marburg: Elwert’sche Verlagsbuchhandlung, vol. II, p. 74.
  2. Quiggin, E. C. (1906) A Dialect of Donegal, Cambridge University Press, page 51
  3. Quiggin, E. C. (1906) A Dialect of Donegal, Cambridge University Press, page 22

Further reading

Scottish Gaelic

Etymology

From Old Irish díabul, from Latin diabolus, from Ancient Greek διάβολος (diábolos, “slanderer”).

Pronunciation
  • IPA(key): /ˈtʲiəvəl̪ˠ/

Noun

diabhal m (genitive singular diabhail, plural diabhlan or diabhail)

  1. devil

Derived terms
  • ban-diabhal (“female devil, fury”)
  • diabhal Tasmanach (“Tasmanian devil”)

References
  • Edward Dwelly (1911), “diabhal”, in Faclair Gàidhlig gu Beurla le Dealbhan [The Illustrated Gaelic–English Dictionary], 10th edition, Edinburgh: Birlinn Limited, →ISBN
  • G. Toner, M. Ní Mhaonaigh, S. Arbuthnot, D. Wodtko, M.-L. Theuerkauf, editors (2019), “2 díabul”, in eDIL: Electronic Dictionary of the Irish Language
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