grámhar

Irish

Alternative forms

grádhmhar[1]

Etymology

From Middle Irish grádmar (“loving, amiable”).[2] By surface analysis, grá (“love”) +‎ -mhar.

Pronunciation

(Munster) IPA^(key): /ˈɡɾˠɑːvˠəɾˠ/
(Connacht) IPA^(key): /ˈɡɾˠɑːwəɾˠ/
(Ulster) IPA^(key): /ˈɡɾˠaːwəɾˠ/

Adjective

grámhar (genitive singular masculine grámhair, genitive singular feminine grámhaire, plural grámhara, comparative grámhaire)

loving, tender, affectionate
Synonyms: caithiseach, ceanúil, muirneach
- 1939, Peig Sayers, “Inghean an Cheannaidhe”, in Marie-Louise Sjoestedt, Description d’un parler irlandais de Kerry (Bibliothèque de l'École des Hautes Études; 270) (overall work in French), Paris: Librairie Honoré Champion, page 196:
  Dob’fhiriste dom buachaill grádhmhar a fhagháil lé pósadh.
  It would have been easy for me to find a loving boy to marry.
lovable, amiable
Synonym: caithiseach

Declension

Declension of grámhar

Positive	Masculine	Feminine	(strong noun)	(weak noun)
	Singular		Plural (m/f)
Nominative	grámhar	ghrámhar	grámhara; ghrámhara²
Vocative	ghrámhair	ghrámhar	grámhara
Genitive	ghrámhair	grámhaire	grámhara	grámhar
Dative	grámhar; ghrámhar¹	ghrámhar; ghrámhair (archaic)	grámhara; ghrámhara²
Comparative	níos grámhaire
Superlative	is grámhaire

¹ When the preceding noun is lenited and governed by the definite article.
² When the preceding noun ends in a slender consonant.

Mutation

Irish mutation
Radical	Lenition	Eclipsis
grámhar	ghrámhar	ngrámhar
Note: Some of these forms may be hypothetical. Not every possible mutated form of every word actually occurs.

References

“grámhar”, in Historical Irish Corpus, 1600–1926, Royal Irish Academy
G. Toner, M. Ní Mhaonaigh, S. Arbuthnot, D. Wodtko, M.-L. Theuerkauf, editors (2019), “grádmar”, in eDIL: Electronic Dictionary of the Irish Language