An Irish-English dictionary - National Library of Scotland

REMARKS ON THE LETTER N.
tl is the eleventh letter of the Irish alphabet, is never aspirated, and is ranke^y our grammarians among the light consonants,
called con-poineA'DA éA'ocponiA. When it is prefixed to g in the^eginning of a word, it is ranked among the
robust, called coni'oitieA'ÓA ceAntia, and then both letters are called Tlgeacib, orTliacAb, from TliáCdl, a leed, Lat.,
arundo. It is called nuin, from tluin, the ash tree, Lat., fraximis. In Hebrew it is called Nun, from the sound; it is
often doubled, and then sounds strong, as ceAnn, a bead, bAtin, a sword, ceAnn, strong ; but a double n is rarely written
in Irish, a little stroke being set over the letter instead of it, thus (-). We find this manner was familiar to the Latins m
ancient times, and by the ignorance of some copyists and engravers, has made many words dubious ; for they often omitted
11 when they should always write it, as Clemeti for dementi ; Cojux for Conjux. The Greeks, in like manner, omitted v
in some words ; for they wrote 'Opretrioc, for iTortensius, and TaWta 'SapPoveata, AaySoveaia, and 'IiTfl-avia TappaKOveaia,
for Gallia Narbonensis, Lugdunensis, and Taraconensis ; and the Latins did sometimes insert it where it had no
right to stand, as in conjunx for conjux ; totiens for toties ; and qtiotiens for quoties. Because these writers and engravers
did not understand the little bars or strokes set over some vowels to denote a long pronunciation, instead of which they
wrote n or m ; and again, when these bars had been intended to signify n or m, they ignorantly took them for the sign of
a long syllable. And indeed these mistakes are not unusual among our Irish copyists, nor can a language, whose histories
and writings depend on manuscripts, be free from the like errors. It is to be noted, that as this letter receives no aspirate,
so it is never eclipsed by prefixing any other letter to it in the beginning of words. It is Ukewise to be observed, that the
letter n at the beginning of words, which are referred either to objects of the feminine gender, or to persons or things of tho
plural number, is pronounced double, and very nearly with the same soimd as gn in the French Seigneur, or n in tho
Spanish word Sennor. This double pronunciation in like circimistances is common to the three consonants /, n, r, as hath
been already observed of the t, and shall be in like manner of \\. Thus, for example, in the word ne4]\c, when we
say & neAnc, meaning the strength of a woman, the initial letter n is pronounced double, as it is in the same J, neApc, when
it means their strength, and so in all other words beginnmg with ri, as a radical letter.
Ha, na, adv. than; prop. ionA; riA, adv. not;
riA, conj. or, not, neither; ha, the nom. plur.
and gen. feminine of the article An ; tia, prep.
and pron. in his, in her, in their; for in a;
riA, s. f the soul; "A mACAOitti riA nÁ ci cia
pot".
11 AA)', naas, s. an assembly, convention, public
meeting, a fair, Lee.
TlAbA'ó, nabadh, s. m. a neighbour, Manx,
naboo.
1lAbAit)eAcc, nabaidheacht, s. f. neighbourhood.
Hac, nach, adj. often written in MSS. for cÁc;
nAC, neg. not, an interrogative and negative
particle, riAc bfuib ye? is he not? ij' bcAg
riAC -00 cuic me, it is little that I did not fall
I had almost fallen.
TlACAp, nachar, is an interrogative and negative
particle of tho past tense, indicative mood
nACAji líicAblAj'? It is often contracted into
nÁ]t.
HACOAp, nachdar, adv. without; i. e. Ammg.
llAt), nad, s. m. the buttocks; prep, and pron.
for Ann oo, in thy; adv. no, not.
ilAtJA, nadn, s. nothing; Spanish, noda.
NAD NAI
1lAt)bu5A, nadluga, adv. formerly, anciently;
" 5on riiiiliuitit)i nAib nAtjlujA", L. Breac.
^^AX>com'^'\^t^,nadoho7nJlartha,^ s. an earnest,
1lAT)mA, nadma, > earnest penny,
Y\AX}mA^]me, nadmairdhe, ) a pledge.
llAOviine, nadhuine, s. Heaven.
nÁTJi'n^i, naduir, s. i. nature, disposition.
IIÁTJÚHAC, nadurach,\ . i
^' °^^"rai.
11ÁT)úncA, nadurtha,]
11 Ae, nae, s. a man or a woman; nAe or AnoAe,
adv. yesterday.
llAeb, naehh, s. m. a saint; a ship.
llAebóg, naehhog, s. f a boat.
llAet), naedh, a. red.
11a5A1]\, nagair, a. comely, handsome.
llA^At), nasad, s. m. a wonder.
11 A1, nai, see n^e; s. f a ship; lieh., ania, oni.
11 AIT), naid, s. fa lamprey; conj. or, cither.
1lAiT)e! naide! interj. who! which; s. f. a man,
a husband ; a sinner.
llAÍúe, naidlie, s. m. a babe, an infant.
1lAiT)e, naidhe, v. he did not; i. e. ni
•oéAjinA, 0. g.
llAÍTjeAticAcc, naidheantacht, s. f infancy; the