eala

See also: -eala and -eală

Irish

Etymology

From Middle Irish ela, elae, from Old Irish elu, from Proto-Celtic *eli- (“swan”), from Proto-Indo-European *h₁el- (“swan”). Cognates within Celtic include Breton alarc’h, Cornish alargh, Welsh alarch, and outside Celtic Latin olor and Ancient Greek ἐλέα (eléa, “marsh bird”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈal̪ˠə/, /ˈalˠə/

Noun

eala f (genitive singular eala, nominative plural ealaí)

1. swan
   • 1899, Franz Nikolaus Finck, Die araner mundart, volume II (overall work in German), Marburg: Elwert’sche Verlagsbuchhandlung, page 22:

     xøn̄ik mē ȧlə eŕ ə l̄ox.

     [Chonaic mé eala ar an loch.]

     I saw a swan on the lake.

   • 1899, Franz Nikolaus Finck, Die araner mundart, volume II (overall work in German), Marburg: Elwert’sche Verlagsbuchhandlung, page 22:

     əs mō šḱihān ən ȧlə n̄ā šḱihān ǵē.

     [Is mó sciathán an eala ná sciathán gé.]

     The wing of the swan is larger than the wing of a goose.

   • 1899, Franz Nikolaus Finck, Die araner mundart, volume II (overall work in German), Marburg: Elwert’sche Verlagsbuchhandlung, page 22:

     xuə šȧxt n-ȧlə harm̥ sn̥ ēr əńú.

     [Chuaigh seacht n-eala tharam san aer inniu.]

     Seven swans went past me in the air today.

Declension

Declension of eala (fourth declension)

bare forms case singular plural nominative eala ealaí vocative a eala a ealaí genitive eala ealaí dative eala ealaí forms with the definite article case singular plural nominative an eala na healaí genitive na heala na n-ealaí dative leis an eala don eala leis na healaí

• Archaic dative singular: ealainn

Mutation

Mutated forms of eala

radical	eclipsis	with h-prothesis	with t-prothesis
eala	n-eala	heala	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

• Dinneen, Patrick S. (1904) “eala”, in Foclóir Gaeḋilge agus Béarla, 1st edition, Dublin: Irish Texts Society, page 276
• Ó Dónaill, Niall (1977) “eala”, in Foclóir Gaeilge–Béarla, Dublin: An Gúm, →ISBN

Old English

Alternative forms

• ēlā, ēawlā, ǣlā, ǣalā, hēlā, hiġla, ēale

Etymology

Perhaps from a compound whose elements answer to ēa (“oh!, ah!”) +‎ lā (“lo”). Compare Old Frisian ēala (“hail!, hello!”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈæ͜ɑːˌlɑː/

Interjection

ēalā

1. oh; hey

   Ēalā frēond, hwȳ eart þū swā sċēoh?

   Oh friend, why are you so shy?

   • late 9th century, translation of Bede's Ecclesiastical History

     Ēalā brōðor Eċġberht, ēalā, hwæt dydest þū?

     Oh brother Egbert, oh, what have you done?

Conjunction

ēalā

1. if only
   • c. 897, King Alfred's translation of Pope Gregory's Pastoral Care

     Ēalā wǣre hē āwðer oþþe hāt oþþe ċeald.

     If only he was either hot or cold.

Derived terms

• ēalā ġif

Descendants

• Middle English: halloo, halow
  • English: hallo, hello

Old Frisian

Interjection

ēala

1. hail!

   Eala, frya Fresena!

   Hail, free Frisians!

Scottish Gaelic

Etymology

From Middle Irish ela, elae, from Old Irish elu, from Proto-Celtic *eli- (“swan”), from Proto-Indo-European *h₁el- (“swan”).

Pronunciation

• (Lewis) IPA^(key): /ˈjɑl̪ˠə/, [ˈæ̯ɑl̪ˠə]
• (North Uist) IPA^(key): /ˈɛl̪ˠə/
• (South Uist) IPA^(key): /ˈɛ̯al̪ˠə/
• (Barra) IPA^(key): [ˈe̯æl̪ˠʌ]

Noun

eala f (genitive singular ealaidh, plural ealachan)

1. swan

Mutation

Mutation of eala

radical	eclipsis	with h-prothesis	with t-prothesis
eala	n-eala	h-eala	t-eala

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