déirc

Irish

Alternative forms

• déirce f

Etymology

From Old Irish deercc (“God's love; charity”), a Christian compound of Día (“God”) and serc (“love”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /dʲeːɾʲc/

Noun

déirc f (genitive singular déirce)

1. charity, alms(-giving)

   Déirc dá chuid féin (a thabhairt) don amadán. (proverb)

   (To) feed a dog with his own tail

   (literally, “To give the fool charity from his own belongings.”)

   Déirc an Domhnaigh a bhriseas droim an diabhail. (proverb)

   Occasional almsgiving is not charity in the true sense.

   (literally, “Sunday charity overloads the devil’s back.”)

Declension

Declension of déirc

Second declension

Bare forms (no plural form of this noun) Case Singular Nominative déirc Vocative a dhéirc Genitive déirce Dative déirc

Forms with the definite article Case Singular Nominative an déirc Genitive na déirce Dative leis an déirc don déirc

Synonyms

• (alms-giving): déanamh déirce

Derived terms

• ábhar déirce (“an object of charity”)
• altú na déirce (“thanksgiving for alms”)
• bean déirce (“beggar(-woman)”)
• déirc don phocán lán (“undeserving charity”)
• díol déirce (“object of charity”)
• dóigh déirce (“generous almsgiver”)
• fear déirce (“beggar(-man)”)
• ord déirce (“mendicant order”)

 

Mutation

Irish mutation
Radical	Lenition	Eclipsis
déirc	dhéirc	ndéirc
Note: Some of these forms may be hypothetical. Not every possible mutated form of every word actually occurs.

Further reading

• Gregory Toner, Sharon Arbuthnot, Máire Ní Mhaonaigh, Marie-Luise Theuerkauf, Dagmar Wodtko, editors (2019), “deercc”, in eDIL: Electronic Dictionary of the Irish Language
• Finck, F. N. (1899) Die araner mundart (in German), volume II, Marburg: Elwert’sche Verlagsbuchhandlung, page 80
• Ó Dónaill, Niall (1977) “déirc”, in Foclóir Gaeilge–Béarla, Dublin: An Gúm, →ISBN