sámh
Irish
Pronunciation
Etymology 1
From Old Irish sám, from Proto-Celtic *sāmos. According to Matasović (p. 321), this adjective is a vṛddhi formation on Proto-Indo-European *somos (“same”), ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *sem- (“one, same”) and parallel to German sanft, English soft.
However, as Matasović notes, "the semantic side of the connection leaves much to be desired".
Adjective
sámh (genitive singular masculine sáimh, genitive singular feminine sáimhe, plural sámha, comparative sáimhe)
Declension
| Singular | Plural (m/f) | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Positive | Masculine | Feminine | (strong noun) | (weak noun) |
| Nominative | sámh | shámh | sámha; shámha² | |
| Vocative | sháimh | sámha | ||
| Genitive | sáimhe | sámha | sámh | |
| Dative | sámh; shámh¹ |
shámh; sháimh (archaic) |
sámha; shámha² | |
| Comparative | níos sáimhe | |||
| Superlative | is sáimhe | |||
¹ When the preceding noun is lenited and governed by the definite article.
² When the preceding noun ends in a slender consonant.
Derived terms
- sáimhe
- sámhas
Etymology 2
From Old Irish sámae, from Proto-Celtic *sāmyā, based on the adjective stem above.
Declension
Second declension
|
Bare forms (no plural form of this noun)
|
Forms with the definite article
|
Further reading
- “sámh”, in Historical Irish Corpus, 1600–1926, Royal Irish Academy
- G. Toner, M. Ní Mhaonaigh, S. Arbuthnot, D. Wodtko, M.-L. Theuerkauf, editors (2019), “sám”, in eDIL: Electronic Dictionary of the Irish Language
- Dinneen, Patrick S. (1904) “sáṁ”, in Foclóir Gaeḋilge agus Béarla, 1st edition, Dublin: Irish Texts Society, page 590
- Matasović, Ranko (2009) Etymological Dictionary of Proto-Celtic (Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series; 9), Leiden: Brill, →ISBN, page 321
- Sjoestedt, M. L. (1931) Phonétique d’un parler irlandais de Kerry (in French), Paris: Librairie Ernest Leroux, page 29