sneachta

Irish

Etymology

From Old Irish snechtae, from Proto-Indo-European *snéygʷʰs.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈʃnʲaxt̪ˠə/, /ˈʃnʲãxt̪ˠə/
• (Cois Fharraige) IPA^(key): /ˈʃnʲæːxt̪ˠə/

Noun

sneachta m (genitive singular sneachta, nominative plural sneachtaí)

1. snow (precipitation)

   Níorbh iontaí liom an sneachta dearg ná é. ― Nothing would surprise me more. (literally, “Red snow would not be more surprising to me than that.”)

Declension

Declension of sneachta (fourth declension)

bare forms case singular plural nominative sneachta sneachtaí vocative a shneachta a shneachtaí genitive sneachta sneachtaí dative sneachta sneachtaí forms with the definite article case singular plural nominative an sneachta na sneachtaí genitive an tsneachta na sneachtaí dative leis an sneachta don sneachta leis na sneachtaí

Derived terms

• bratóg shneachta f (“snowflake”)
• bróg shneachta f (“snowshoe”)
• cáithnín sneachta m (“hailstone”)
• calóg shneachta f (“snowflake”)
• céachta sneachta m (“snow-plough”)
• cloch shneachta f (“hailstone”)
• dairt sneachta (“(cast of) snowball”)
• deargán sneachta m (“red-wing”)
• fear sneachta m (“snowman”)
• fíneog shneachta f (“snowflake”)
• garbhóg shneachta f (“large hailstone”)
• gealóg shneachta f (“snow bunting”)
• liopard sneachta m (“snow leopard”)
• lóipín sneachta m (“snowflake”)
• lubhóg shneachta f (“snowflake”)
• maidhm shneachta f (“avalanche”)
• meall sneachta m (“snowball”)
• muc shneachta f (“snowdrift; large snowball”)
• plúirín sneachta m (“snowdrop”)
• ráth sneachta m (“snowdrift”)
• scáil sneachta (“snow-blink”)
• síobadh sneachta m (“blizzard”)
• sneachtach (“snowy”, adjective)
• sneachtaí (“snowy”, adjective)
• sneachtúil (“snowy”, adjective)
• troighean sneachta (“covering of (melting) snow”)

 

Mutation

Mutated forms of sneachta

radical	lenition	eclipsis
sneachta	shneachta after an, tsneachta	not applicable

Note: Certain mutated forms of some words can never occur in standard Modern Irish.
All possible mutated forms are displayed for convenience.

Further reading

• Ó Dónaill, Niall (1977) “sneachta”, in Foclóir Gaeilge–Béarla, Dublin: An Gúm, →ISBN