caile

Unconfirmed but may be from Old Irish caile (“girl, serving-girl, maid”). A 1768 Irish-English dictionary explains caile as Old Irish a country woman, a marriageable girl, a young woman. The same and later dictionaries mention this as analogous to the Greek pulchra/pulcher calḗ (Καλή), and the Hebrew word calla spōnsa nurus which appears to mean prospective daughter in law.

By 1780 the word caile is showing as meaning either Old Irish strumpet, harlot or Old Irish young girl, queen and then appears far more frequently alongside the neural connotions.

If the origin of the word is caile meaning girl, it survives within the word gearrchaile

caile m or f (genitive singular caile, nominative plural cailí)

1. girl, wench

Masculine

Feminine

• caile daibhche (“washerwoman”)
• cailín

• Ó Dónaill, Niall (1977) “caile”, in Foclóir Gaeilge–Béarla, Dublin: An Gúm, →ISBN
• G. Toner, M. Ní Mhaonaigh, S. Arbuthnot, D. Wodtko, M.-L. Theuerkauf, editors (2019), “1 caile”, in eDIL: Electronic Dictionary of the Irish Language
• Entries containing “caile” in New English-Irish Dictionary by Foras na Gaeilge.

Possibly related to Breton plac'h (“girl”) which cognates with Latin paelex (“concubine”), Ancient Greek παλλακή (pallakḗ, “young girl”).[1]

caile ? (genitive caile)

1. serving-girl, maid

Accusative form in caili attested in the Middle Irish Book of Leinster manuscript points to feminine iā-stem declension but it might be just a late spelling of in caile. Classical Gaelic grammatical tracts list it among masculine nouns[2] and genitive an chaile in bardic poetry points to masculine gender. In Modern Irish it appears both as a masculine and a feminine noun.

The declension table below assumes the accusative in caili from The Book of Leinster is correct for Old Irish.

• Middle Irish: caile
  • Irish: caile
  • Scottish Gaelic: caile

• G. Toner, M. Ní Mhaonaigh, S. Arbuthnot, D. Wodtko, M.-L. Theuerkauf, editors (2019), “1 caile”, in eDIL: Electronic Dictionary of the Irish Language

From Old Irish caile (“serving-girl, maid”); compare Breton plac’h (“girl”); Ancient Greek παλλακή (pallakḗ, “concubine”), Latin pellex.

caile f (genitive singular caile, plural cailean)

1. vulgar girl, quean, hussy
2. strumpet
3. (Argyll, Perthshire) any young girl
4. maidservant who does more or less other work than housework

   Synonym: caile-shearbhanta

(This etymology is missing or incomplete. Please add to it, or discuss it at the Etymology scriptorium.)

caile f

1. capacity

• Edward Dwelly (1911) “caile”, in Faclair Gàidhlig gu Beurla le Dealbhan [The Illustrated Gaelic–English Dictionary]‎, 10th edition, Edinburgh: Birlinn Limited, →ISBN
• G. Toner, M. Ní Mhaonaigh, S. Arbuthnot, D. Wodtko, M.-L. Theuerkauf, editors (2019), “1 caile”, in eDIL: Electronic Dictionary of the Irish Language