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Definition 2024

ar_son

ar son

See also: arson

Irish

Preposition

ar son ‎(plus genitive or possessive determiner, triggers no mutation)

for, for the sake of (because of)
on behalf of (speaking or acting for)

Inflection

Inflection of ar son

Person	Normal	Emphatic
1st person sing.	ar mo shon	ar mo shonsa
2d person sing.	ar do shon	ar do shonsa
3d sing. masc.	ar a shon	ar a shonsan
3d sing. fem.	ar a son	ar a sonsa
1st person pl.	ar ár son	ar ár son-na
2d person pl.	ar bhur son	ar bhur sonsa
3d person pl.	ar a son	ar a sonsan

References

“1 son (‘sound, word, name’)” in Dictionary of the Irish Language, Royal Irish Academy, 1913–76.
“son” in Foclóir Gaeḋilge agus Béarla, Irish Texts Society, 1927, by Patrick S. Dinneen.
"son" in Foclóir Gaeilge-Béarla, An Gúm, 1977, by Niall Ó Dónaill.

Etymology

Disputed; there are two Old Irish nouns son, one meaning ‘sound; word, name’ (a borrowing from Latin sonus), and one meaning ‘prosperity, well-being’ (cognate with sona ‎(“happy”) and sonus ‎(“good fortune”)). The Dictionary of the Irish Language associates the preposition with the first of these, suggesting the original meaning ‘at the sound of, by the word/name of’. Dinneen’s and Ó Dónaill’s dictionaries, on the other hand, associate it with the second, suggesting the original meaning ‘for the well-being of’. Cognate with Scottish Gaelic airson.

Pronunciation

(Munster) IPA^(key): /ɛɾʲˈsˠɔnˠ/
(Connacht) IPA^(key): /ɛɾʲˈsˠɔnˠ/, /ɛɾʲˈsˠʊnˠ/
(Munster) IPA^(key): /ɛɾʲˈsˠʌnˠ/