támh

See also: tàmh

Irish

FWOTD – 19 June 2022

Pronunciation

• (Munster, Galway) IPA^(key): /t̪ˠɑːvˠ/
• (Mayo) IPA^(key): /t̪ˠɑːw/
• (Ulster) IPA^(key): /t̪ˠãːw/

Etymology 1

From Old Irish tám (“death, unconsciousness”), possibly from Proto-Celtic *tāmus, which could be related to *tādeti (“to melt”); see Proto-Brythonic *tọðɨd. Or, from Proto-Indo-European *temH-, see also Sanskrit ताम्यति (tāmyati, “to choke, to die”), Old Church Slavonic томити (tomiti, “to languish”). Cognate with Scottish Gaelic tàmh, Breton tav (“quiet”).

Noun

támh f (genitive singular táimhe, nominative plural támha)

1. trance, swoon
   • 1894 March, Peadar Mac Fionnlaoigh, “An rí nach robh le fagháil bháis”, in Irisleabhar na Gaedhilge, volume 1:5, Dublin: Gaelic Union, pages 185–88:

     Nuair a chualaidh an rí seo, ghlac sé támh ⁊ thuit sé marbh ar an talamh.

     When the king heard this, he went into a swoon and fell dead upon the ground.

2. (literary) plague

Declension

Declension of támh

Second declension

Bare forms Case Singular Plural Nominative támh támha Vocative a thámh a thámha Genitive táimhe támh Dative támh táimh (archaic, dialectal) támha

Forms with the definite article Case Singular Plural Nominative an támh na támha Genitive na táimhe na dtámh Dative leis an támh leis an táimh (archaic, dialectal) don támh don táimh (archaic, dialectal) leis na támha

Etymology 2

Contraction of taitheamh due to confusion with etymology 1. See tàmh (“rest”).

Noun

támh m (genitive singular táimh)

1. (archaic, literary) rest, sleep

Declension

Declension of támh

First declension

Bare forms (no plural of this noun) Case Singular Nominative támh Vocative a tháimh Genitive táimh Dative támh

Forms with the definite article: Case Singular Nominative an támh Genitive an táimh Dative leis an támh don támh

Mutation

Irish mutation
Radical	Lenition	Eclipsis
támh	thámh	dtámh
Note: Some of these forms may be hypothetical. Not every possible mutated form of every word actually occurs.

Further reading

• “támh”, in Historical Irish Corpus, 1600–1926, Royal Irish Academy
• Gregory Toner, Sharon Arbuthnot, Máire Ní Mhaonaigh, Marie-Luise Theuerkauf, Dagmar Wodtko, editors (2019), “tám”, in eDIL: Electronic Dictionary of the Irish Language
• Dinneen, Patrick S. (1904) “táṁ”, in Foclóir Gaeḋilge agus Béarla, 1st edition, Dublin: Irish Texts Society, page 715
• Ó Dónaill, Niall (1977) “támh”, in Foclóir Gaeilge–Béarla, Dublin: An Gúm, →ISBN
• Quiggin, E. C. (1906) A Dialect of Donegal, Cambridge University Press, page 58