brí

See also: bri

Irish

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /bʲɾʲiː/

Etymology 1

From Old Irish bríg (“force, power, value”), from Proto-Celtic *brīgos (“importance”) (compare Welsh bri (“fame, distinction”)).

Noun

brí f (genitive singular brí, nominative plural bríonna)

1. strength, vigor
2. meaning, significance
3. influence, merit
4. (in negative and interrogative phrases) quantity

Declension

Declension of brí (fourth declension)

bare forms case singular plural nominative brí bríonna vocative a bhrí a bhríonna genitive brí bríonna dative brí bríonna forms with the definite article case singular plural nominative an bhrí na bríonna genitive na brí na mbríonna dative leis an mbrí don bhrí leis na bríonna

Alternative forms

• brígh (superseded)

Derived terms

• bríomhar
• dá bhrí sin (“therefore”)
• de bhrí go
• fobhrí
• in ísle brí

 

Etymology 2

From Old Irish brí, from Proto-Celtic *brixs.

Noun

brí f (genitive singular brí, nominative plural bríonna)

1. brae

Declension

Declension of brí (fourth declension)

bare forms case singular plural nominative brí bríonna vocative a bhrí a bhríonna genitive brí bríonna dative brí bríonna forms with the definite article case singular plural nominative an bhrí na bríonna genitive na brí na mbríonna dative leis an mbrí don bhrí leis na bríonna

Mutation

Mutated forms of brí

radical	lenition	eclipsis
brí	bhrí	mbrí

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) “brí”, in Foclóir Gaeilge–Béarla, Dublin: An Gúm, →ISBN
• de Bhaldraithe, Tomás (1959) “brí”, in English-Irish Dictionary, An Gúm
• “brí”, in New English-Irish Dictionary, Foras na Gaeilge, 2013-2024

Old Irish

Etymology

From Proto-Celtic *brixs.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /bʲrʲiː/

Noun

brí f (genitive breg, nominative plural brig)

1. hill

Inflection

Feminine g-stem
	Singular	Dual	Plural
Nominative	brí	brigL	brig
Vocative	brí	brigL	brega
Accusative	brigN	brigL	brega
Genitive	breg	breg	bregN
Dative	brigL, brí	bregaib	bregaib
Initial mutations of a following adjective: H = triggers aspiration L = triggers lenition N = triggers nasalization

Descendants

• Irish: brí
• Scottish Gaelic: bre

Mutation

Mutation of brí

radical	lenition	nasalization
brí	brí pronounced with /β(ʲ)-/	mbrí

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

References

• Gregory Toner, Sharon Arbuthnot, Máire Ní Mhaonaigh, Marie-Luise Theuerkauf, Dagmar Wodtko, editors (2019), “1 bri”, in eDIL: Electronic Dictionary of the Irish Language
• Matasović, Ranko (2009) “brig-”, in Etymological Dictionary of Proto-Celtic (Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series; 9), Leiden: Brill, →ISBN, page 77