Dutch

Verb

gille

1. (archaic) singular present subjunctive of gillen

Scottish Gaelic

Etymology

From Old Irish gilla; compare English child, Old English cild. Zimmer thinks it is borrowed from the Old Norse gildr ‎(“stout, brawny, of full worth”), English guild, Old English gild ‎(“payment”) (see geall), gilda ‎(“fellow”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈkʲiʎə/

Noun

gille m ‎(genitive singular gille, plural gillean)

1. (dated) servant, follower
2. boy, lad, youth (male aged from the toddler years to about the middle twenties)
3. man, boy (as a familiar address for a male of any age)

Usage notes

• The regular vocative a ghille is often, even in writing, shortened to 'ille.

Synonyms

• balach
• laochan (especially in vocative)

Derived terms

Hyponyms

• balachan ‎(“little boy”)
• balachan-sgoile ‎(“schoolboy”)
• brogach ‎(“sturdy little boy”)
• proitseach ‎(“stripling”)