Irish

Etymology

From Middle Irish ela, elae, from Old Irish elu, from Proto-Celtic *eli- ‎(“swan”), from Proto-Indo-European *h₁el- ‎(“swan”). Cognates within Celtic include Breton alarc’h, Cornish alargh, Welsh alarch, and outside Celtic Latin olor and Ancient Greek ἐλέα ‎(eléa, “marsh bird”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈalˠə/

Noun

eala f ‎(genitive singular eala, nominative plural ealaí)

1. swan
   • 1899, Franz Nikolaus Finck, Die araner mundart, Marburg: Elwert’sche Verlagsbuchhandlung, vol. II, p. 22:

     xøn̄ik mē ȧlə eŕ ə l̄ox.

     conventional orthography: Chonaic mé eala ar an loch.

     I saw a swan on the lake.

   • 1899, Franz Nikolaus Finck, Die araner mundart, Marburg: Elwert’sche Verlagsbuchhandlung, vol. II, p. 22:

     əs mō šḱihān ən ȧlə n̄ā šḱihān ǵē.

     conventional orthography: Is mó sciathán an eala ná sciathán gé.

     The wing of the swan is larger than the wing of a goose.

   • 1899, Franz Nikolaus Finck, Die araner mundart, Marburg: Elwert’sche Verlagsbuchhandlung, vol. II, p. 22:

     xuə šȧxt n-ȧlə harm̥ sn̥ ēr əńú.

     conventional orthography: Chuaigh seacht n-eala tharam san aer inniu.

     Seven swans went past me in the air today.

Declension

• Archaic dative singular: ealainn

Mutation

References

• Matasović, Ranko (2009), “*elV-”, in Etymological Dictionary of Proto-Celtic (Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series; 9), Leiden: Brill, ISBN 978-90-04-17336-1, pages 114–15
• “1 ela” in Dictionary of the Irish Language, Royal Irish Academy, 1913–76.
• “eala” in Foclóir Gaeḋilge agus Béarla, Irish Texts Society, 1927, by Patrick S. Dinneen.
• "eala" in Foclóir Gaeilge-Béarla, An Gúm, 1977, by Niall Ó Dónaill.

Old English

Alternative forms

ǣlā , hēlā

Interjection

ēalā

1. oh!, alas!

   Ēala! ðæt hit wurde.

   Alas!, that it might be.

Descendants

• Middle English: halloo, halow
  • English: hallo, hello

Old Frisian

Interjection

ēala

1. hail!

   Eala, frya Fresena!

   Hail, free Frisians!

Scottish Gaelic

Etymology

From Old Irish ela.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈɛlˠa/

Noun

eala f ‎(genitive singular ealaidh, plural ealachan)

1. swan