CHAPTER I.
OF DERIVATION.
The Parts of Speech which are formed by derivation from other words are Nouns, Adjectives, and Verbs. These are chiefly derived from Nouns and Adjectives, and a few from Verbs.
I. Nouns.
Derivative Nouns may be classed as follows, according to the varieties of their termination.
1. Abstract Nouns in as, formed from Adjectives or Nouns; as, from ceart just, ceartas justice; from diomhan idle, vain, diomhanas idleness, vanity; from caraid a friend, cairdeas contracted for caraideas friendship; from namhaid an enemy, naimhdeas contracted for namhaideas enmity.
2. Abstract Nouns in achd, formed from Adjectives, and sometimes, though more rarely, from Verbs and Nouns; as, from naomh holy, naomhachd holiness; from domhain deep, doimhneachd contracted for domhaineachd depth; from righ a king, rioghachd a kingdom; coimhid to keep, coimheadachd keeping; clachair a mason, clachaireachd mason-work; gobhain a smith, goibhneachd contracted for gobhaineachd iron-work, or rather the trade or occupation of a smith.
3. Abstract Nouns formed from the genitive of Adjectives, by adding e; as, from dall gen. doill blind, doille blindness; from geal gen. gil white, gile whiteness; from leasg gen. leisg lazy, leisge laziness; tearc gen. teirc rare, teirce rarity; trom gen. truim heavy, truime heaviness; truagh gen. truaigh unhappy, truaighe misery; uasal gen.
uasail noble, uasaile contr. uaisle or by metath. uailse nobility.
4. Abstract Nouns in ad, formed from the Comparative of Adjectives, and used in speaking of the degree of a quality; as, gilead whiteness, boidhchead beauty, doimhnead depth, lughad smallness, tainead thinness; these are construed with the Prepositions de, air; as, cha n-fhaca mi a samhuil air bhoidhchead, I have not seen her match for beauty; air a lughad or d' a lughad, however small it be.
5. Nouns in air or oir, ach, iche, derived, most of them, from nouns, and signifying persons or agents, as, pìobair a player on the pipe, from pìob a pipe; clàrsair a player on the harp, from clàrsach a harp; cealgair or cealgoir a deceiver, from cealg deceit; sealgair or sealgoir a huntsman, from sealg hunting; marcach a rider, from marc a horse; athach a man of terror, a gigantic figure, from atha fear; oibriche a workman, from obair work; sgeulaiche a reciter of tales, from sgeul a tale; ceannaiche a merchant, from ceannaich to buy[[113]].
6. Diminutives in an, and in ag or og, formed from Nouns or Adjectives; as, lochan a small lake, from loch a lake; from braid theft, bradag a thievish girl; from ciar dark-coloured, ciarag a little dark-coloured creature. These Diminutives are often formed from the Genitive of their Primitives; as, from feur gen. feoir grass, feoirnean a pile of grass; moll gen. muill chaff, muillean a particle of chaff; folt gen. fuilt hair, fuiltean a single hair; clag gen. cluig a bell, cluigean a little bell; gual gen. guail coal, guailnean a cinder; smùr gen. smùir dust, smùirnean a particle of dust, a mote; clòimh plumage, clòimhneag a small feather, a flake of snow.
Some Nouns are formed in an, which are not Diminutives; as, from lùb to bend, lùban a bow; from buail to beat, thresh,
buailtean a beater, or thresher, applied to that part of the flail which threshes out the grain.
7. Collective Nouns in ridh or ri, derived from Nouns or Adjectives; as, from òg young, òigridh youth, in the collective sense of the word; from mac a son, macruidh sons, young men, Psal. cxlviii. 12;[[114]] from laoch a hero, laochruidh a band of heroes, Psal. xxix. 1. Macfarlan's Paraph. vi. 15, from ceol music, ceolraidh the muses. A. Macdonald's Songs, p. 7, from cos the foot, coisridh infantry, a party on foot. McIntyre's Songs, Edin. 1768, p. 110, from gas a lad, gasradh a band of domestic attendants. O'Brien's Ir. Dict. voc. gas; eachradh, eachruith cavalry, Fingal. IV. 299, Carthon, 59.—This termination is probably the Noun ruith a troop. See Lhuyd et O'Brien, in voc.[[115]]
8. Nouns in ach, chiefly Patronymics, formed from Proper Names, thus; from Donull Donald, is formed Donullach a man of the name of Macdonald; from Griogar Gregor, Griogarach a Macgregor; so Leodach a Macleod, Granntach a Grant, &c., from Albainn Scotland, Albannach a Scotsman; from Eirin Ireland, Eirineach an Irishman. These Nouns form their Plural regularly, Donullaich, Leodaich, Albannaich, Eirinich. So the following Gentile Nouns, which occur in the Gaelic Scriptures, are regularly formed from their respective Primitives, Partuich Parthians, Medich Medes, Elamuich Elamites, Acts ii. 9. Macedonaich Macedonians, 2 Cor. ix. 2, 4. See also Gen. xv. 19, 20, 21; Exod. xxiii. 23, 28.[[116]].
9. Collective Nouns in ach; as, duille a leaf, duilleach foliage; giuthas fir, giuthasach a fir wood; iughar yew, iugharach a yew copse; fiadh a deer, fiadhach deer, a herd of deer; crion diminutive, shrunk, crionach decayed wood.
II. Adjectives.
1. Adjectives in ach, formed generally from Nouns; as, from fìrinn truth, fìrinneach true, faithful; from sunnt glee, sunntach cheerful; cràdh pain, cràiteach painful; togradh desire, togarrach willing, desirous.
2. Adjectives in mhor or or, derived from Nouns; as, from àdh felicity, adhmhor happy, blessed; from feoil flesh, feolmhor carnal; from neart strength, neartmhor strong.
3. Adjectives in ail derived from Nouns; as, from fear man, fearail manful; from caraid a friend, cairdail contr. for caraidail friendly; from namhaid an enemy, naimhdail contr. for namhaidail hostile; from sùrd alertness, surdail alert[[117]].
4. A few Adjectives in ta or da, derived from Nouns; as, Gaelta belonging to the Gael; Eireanda Irish; Romhanta Roman; Kirk. fìreanta righteous, Matt. xxiii. 35.
III. Verbs.
Verbs in ich, for the most part Transitive, and implying causation, derived from Nouns or Adjectives; as, from geal
white, gealaich to whiten; naomh holy, naomhaich to sanctify; cruinn round, cruinnich to gather together; lamh the hand, laimhsich to handle; cuimhne memory, cuimhnich to remember. A few are Intransitive; as, from crith tremor, criothnuich to tremble; fann feeble, fannuich to faint.