grámhar

Irish

Alternative forms

• grádhmhar

Etymology

From Middle Irish grádmar (“loving, amiable”). By surface analysis, grá (“love”) +‎ -mhar.

Pronunciation

• (Munster) IPA^(key): /ˈɡɾˠɑːvˠəɾˠ/
• (Connacht) IPA^(key): /ˈɡɾˠɑːwəɾˠ/
• (Ulster) IPA^(key): /ˈɡɾˠaːwəɾˠ/

Adjective

grámhar (genitive singular masculine grámhair, genitive singular feminine grámhaire, plural grámhara, comparative grámhaire)

1. loving, tender, affectionate

   Synonyms: caithiseach, ceanúil, muirneach

   • 1939, Peig Sayers, “Inghean an Cheannaidhe”, in Marie-Louise Sjoestedt, Description d’un parler irlandais de Kerry (Bibliothèque de l'École des Hautes Études; 270) (overall work in French), Paris: Librairie Honoré Champion, page 196:

     Dob’fhiriste dom buachaill grádhmhar a fhagháil lé pósadh.

     It would have been easy for me to find a loving boy to marry.

2. lovable, amiable

   Synonym: caithiseach

Declension

Declension of grámhar

	Singular		Plural (m/f)
Positive	Masculine	Feminine	(strong noun)	(weak noun)
Nominative	grámhar	ghrámhar	grámhara; ghrámhara²
Vocative	ghrámhair		grámhara
Genitive		grámhaire	grámhara	grámhar
Dative	grámhar; ghrámhar¹	ghrámhar; ghrámhair (archaic)	grámhara; ghrámhara²
Comparative	níos grámhaire
Superlative	is grámhaire

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
grámhar	ghrámhar	ngrámhar
Note: Some of these forms may be hypothetical. Not every possible mutated form of every word actually occurs.

Further reading

• Dinneen, Patrick S. (1904) “gráḋṁar”, in Foclóir Gaeḋilge agus Béarla, 1st edition, Dublin: Irish Texts Society, page 379
• Ó Dónaill, Niall (1977) “grámhar”, in Foclóir Gaeilge–Béarla, Dublin: An Gúm, →ISBN