eachlach

Irish

Etymology 1

From Old Irish echlach (“messenger, courier; attendant”).

Noun

eachlach m or f (genitive singular eachlaigh or eachlaí, nominative plural eachlaigh or eachlacha)

1. courier
2. attendant, messenger

   Synonyms: scéalaí, teachtaire

Declension

As masculine noun:

Declension of eachlach

First declension

Bare forms: Case Singular Plural Nominative eachlach eachlaigh Vocative a eachlaigh a eachlacha Genitive eachlaigh eachlach Dative eachlach eachlaigh

Forms with the definite article: Case Singular Plural Nominative an t-eachlach na heachlaigh Genitive an eachlaigh na n-eachlach Dative leis an eachlach don eachlach leis na heachlaigh

As feminine noun:

Declension of eachlach

Second declension

Bare forms Case Singular Plural Nominative eachlach eachlacha Vocative a eachlach a eachlacha Genitive eachlaí eachlach Dative eachlach eachlaigh (archaic, dialectal) eachlacha

Forms with the definite article Case Singular Plural Nominative an eachlach na heachlacha Genitive na heachlaí na n-eachlach Dative leis an eachlach leis an eachlaigh (archaic, dialectal) don eachlach don eachlaigh (archaic, dialectal) leis na heachlacha

Derived terms

• baneachlach (“female courier, messenger; horsewoman”)

Etymology 2

From Middle Irish echlach (“prostitute”), from Old Irish.

Noun

eachlach f (genitive singular eachlaí, nominative plural eachlacha)

1. (literary) prostitute

Declension

Declension of eachlach

Second declension

Bare forms Case Singular Plural Nominative eachlach eachlacha Vocative a eachlach a eachlacha Genitive eachlaí eachlach Dative eachlach eachlaigh (archaic, dialectal) eachlacha

Forms with the definite article Case Singular Plural Nominative an eachlach na heachlacha Genitive na heachlaí na n-eachlach Dative leis an eachlach leis an eachlaigh (archaic, dialectal) don eachlach don eachlaigh (archaic, dialectal) leis na heachlacha

Mutation

Irish mutation
Radical	Eclipsis	with h-prothesis	with t-prothesis
eachlach	n-eachlach	heachlach	t-eachlach
Note: Some of these forms may be hypothetical. Not every possible mutated form of every word actually occurs.

Further reading

• Ó Dónaill, Niall (1977) “eachlach”, in Foclóir Gaeilge–Béarla, Dublin: An Gúm, →ISBN
• Dinneen, Patrick S. (1927) “eachlach”, in Foclóir Gaeḋilge agus Béarla, 2nd edition, Dublin: Irish Texts Society
• G. Toner, M. Ní Mhaonaigh, S. Arbuthnot, D. Wodtko, M.-L. Theuerkauf, editors (2019), “1 echlach (‘messenger’)”, in eDIL: Electronic Dictionary of the Irish Language
• G. Toner, M. Ní Mhaonaigh, S. Arbuthnot, D. Wodtko, M.-L. Theuerkauf, editors (2019), “2 echlach (‘prostitute’)”, in eDIL: Electronic Dictionary of the Irish Language
• Entries containing “eachlach” in English-Irish Dictionary, An Gúm, 1959, by Tomás de Bhaldraithe.