beithir

From Old Irish beithir, possibly from Proto-Celtic *betrixs.

• IPA^(key): /ˈbʲɛhəɾʲ/

beithir f (genitive singular beithre or beithreach, nominative plural beithreacha)

1. (literary) bear (animal)
2. (literary) warrior

Irish mutation
Radical	Lenition	Eclipsis
beithir	bheithir	mbeithir
Note: Some of these forms may be hypothetical. Not every possible mutated form of every word actually occurs.

• Gregory Toner, Sharon Arbuthnot, Máire Ní Mhaonaigh, Marie-Luise Theuerkauf, Dagmar Wodtko, editors (2019), “beithir”, in eDIL: Electronic Dictionary of the Irish Language
• Dinneen, Patrick S. (1904) “beiṫir”, in Foclóir Gaeḋilge agus Béarla, 1st edition, Dublin: Irish Texts Society, page 64
• Ó Dónaill, Niall (1977) “beithir”, in Foclóir Gaeilge–Béarla, Dublin: An Gúm, →ISBN
• Sjoestedt, M. L. (1931) Phonétique d’un parler irlandais de Kerry (in French), Paris: Librairie Ernest Leroux, page 72

Possibly from Proto-Celtic *betrixs. The sense of “bear”, according to MacBain, was undoubtedly influenced by or borrowed from Proto-Germanic *berô, but the word also had the sense of “wild beast, serpent, monster”, and the like, which could be a Celtic descendant of the source of Latin bēstia (“wild beast”), itself of uncertain origin^[1]

• IPA^(key): [ˈbʲeθʲirʲ]

beithir f or m (genitive bethrach or beithre)

1. bear
2. warrior, hero

Feminine k-stem
	Singular	Dual	Plural
Nominative	beithir	bethraigL	bethraig
Vocative	beithir	bethraigL	bethracha
Accusative	bethraigN	bethraigL	bethracha
Genitive	bethrach	bethrach	bethrachN
Dative	bethraigL	bethrachaib	bethrachaib
Initial mutations of a following adjective: H = triggers aspiration L = triggers lenition N = triggers nasalization

Old Irish mutation
Radical	Lenition	Nasalization
beithir	beithir pronounced with /β(ʲ)-/	mbeithir
Note: Some of these forms may be hypothetical. Not every possible mutated form of every word actually occurs.

• Gregory Toner, Sharon Arbuthnot, Máire Ní Mhaonaigh, Marie-Luise Theuerkauf, Dagmar Wodtko, editors (2019), “beithir”, in eDIL: Electronic Dictionary of the Irish Language

From Old Irish beithir, possibly from Proto-Celtic *betrixs.

• IPA^(key): /ˈpe.ɪɾʲ/

beithir m (genitive singular beathrach, plural beithrichean or beathraichean)

1. (regional) bear (animal)
2. serpent, viper
3. wild beast

• MacBain, Alexander, Mackay, Eneas (1911) “beithir”, in An Etymological Dictionary of the Gaelic Language‎^[2], Stirling, →ISBN
• Edward Dwelly (1911) “beithir”, in Faclair Gàidhlig gu Beurla le Dealbhan‎^[3], 10th edition, Edinburgh: Birlinn Limited, →ISBN
• Gregory Toner, Sharon Arbuthnot, Máire Ní Mhaonaigh, Marie-Luise Theuerkauf, Dagmar Wodtko, editors (2019), “beithir”, in eDIL: Electronic Dictionary of the Irish Language