claí

See also: clai and clăi

Irish

claí sa Dhún Bheag i gCorca Dhuibhne

Alternative forms

• claidhe (obsolete)

Etymology

Originally a variant form of cladh, from Old Irish clad (“ditch, trench”).

Pronunciation

• (Aran) IPA^(key): /klai/ (corresponding to the form cladh)
• (Cois Fharraige) IPA^(key): /kl̪ˠai/ (corresponding to the form cladh)
• (Ulster) IPA^(key): /klˠiə/, /kl̪ˠiə/ (corresponding to the form claidhe)

Noun

claí m (genitive singular claí, nominative plural claíocha)

1. dry-stone wall

   Synonyms: balla, sconsa

2. ditch, dike

   Synonyms: port, móta

Declension

Declension of claí

Fourth declension

Bare forms Case Singular Plural Nominative claí claíocha Vocative a chlaí a chlaíocha Genitive claí claíocha Dative claí claíocha

Forms with the definite article Case Singular Plural Nominative an claí na claíocha Genitive an chlaí na gclaíocha Dative leis an gclaí don chlaí leis na claíocha

• Alternative plurals: claíonna (Cois Fharraige), clathacha (Cork)

Derived terms

• bíonn cluasa ar na claíocha (“walls have ears”)

Mutation

Irish mutation
Radical	Lenition	Eclipsis
claí	chlaí	gclaí
Note: Some of these forms may be hypothetical. Not every possible mutated form of every word actually occurs.

Further reading

• Ó Dónaill, Niall (1977) “claí”, in Foclóir Gaeilge–Béarla, Dublin: An Gúm, →ISBN
• Gregory Toner, Sharon Arbuthnot, Máire Ní Mhaonaigh, Marie-Luise Theuerkauf, Dagmar Wodtko, editors (2019), “claide”, in eDIL: Electronic Dictionary of the Irish Language
• Dinneen, Patrick S. (1904) “claiḋe”, in Foclóir Gaeḋilge agus Béarla, 1st edition, Dublin: Irish Texts Society, page 143
• de Bhaldraithe, Tomás (1959) “claí”, in English-Irish Dictionary, An Gúm
• “claí”, in New English-Irish Dictionary, Foras na Gaeilge, 2013-2024