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• brígh (superseded)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
• 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

Irish mutation
Radical	Lenition	Eclipsis
brí	bhrí	mbrí
Note: Some of these forms may be hypothetical. Not every possible mutated form of every word actually occurs.

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
• Finck, F. N. (1899) Die araner mundart (in German), volume II, Marburg: Elwert’sche Verlagsbuchhandlung, page 55
• “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

Old Irish mutation
Radical	Lenition	Nasalization
brí	brí pronounced with /β(ʲ)-/	mbrí
Note: Some of these forms may be hypothetical. Not every possible mutated form of every word actually occurs.

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