2
AN GAOḊAL.
Rules for knowing the gender of those
Irish nouns, which are names of inan¬
imate objects.
[The exceptions are in the opposite column.]
Masculine Nouns.
Rule 1. — All nouns generally,
whether primitive, or derivative, that
end in a single or double consonant,
immediately preceded by one of the
three broad vowels — a, o, u — are mas¬
culine; as, sac, a sack; bád, a boat;
loc, lough; lub, a loop; fód, a sod;
nós, a manner; tur, a tower; carb, a
a chariot, a coach, a litter, a basket;
sonas, happiness, prosperity; donas,
ill-luck, misery; derived from the adj.
sona, happy, prosperous; dona, un¬
happy, bad, evil.
Rule 2, — All verbal nouns ending in
uġaḋ, aḋ, eaḋ, or with any of the
broad vowels immediately preceding
the final consonant or consonants; as
beannuġaḋ, blessing; gráḋuġaḋ, lov¬
ing; dunaḋ, shutting; síneaḋ, stretch¬
ing.
Exception 1 to Rule 3. — Nouns ending
in óir, aire, aiḋ, uiḋ, aiḋe, which, al¬
though common to males and females,
imply offices peculiar to men (see last
Lesson).
Exception 2. — Diminutives ending in
ín are of that gender to which the
nouns from which they are formed be¬
long; as, cnoicín, m., a little hill, from
cnoc, m., and cnocáinín, a very little
hill; from cnocán, a hillock; leaḃair¬
ín, m. a little book, pamphlet; from
leaḃar, m, a book.
Exception to Rule 4. — Nouns derived
from adjectives in the 'nominative'
case, are masculine or feminine, accord¬
ing to the termination; if the ending is
broad, the noun is masculine; if slen¬
der, it is feminine; as, an t-olc, m. e¬
vil; an t-suairc, f., the sweet; is beag
eidir an t-olc a's an maiṫ, little [diffe¬
rence] between the good and the bad;
maiṫ is feminine according to Rule 3.
Feminine Nouns.
Exceptions 1 — All derivative abstract
nouns that end in aċt (or aċd); as,
ceannsact, mildness, from ceannsa,
mild ; dánaċd, boldness, from dána,
bold; milseaċt, sweetness, from milis,
sweet; (root, mil); saoraċt, freedom
from saor, free; riġeaċt, a kingdom,
Exception 2. — Diminutives in óg,
(young); as, ciaróg, a chafer; ordóg;
a thumb.
Exception 3 — Some words of one syl¬
lable, a knowledge of which can only
by study be acquired; grian, the sun;
cos, a foot; láṁ, hand; neaṁ, heaven,
pian, pain; fliaḃ, a mountain; treaḃ,
a tribe.
Exception — Verbal nouns ending
with a slender termination; as fuasg¬
ailt, redemption; feicsint, vision,
sight, are feminine.
Feminine Nouns.
Rule 3 — AIl nouns generally, whether
primitive or derivative that end in a
single or double consonant, preceded
immeditely by one of the two slender
vowels e or i, are feminine; as, tír, a
country; onóir, honour; uair, an hour;
uaill, a howl; lasair, a flame, from
las, ignite; cois-céim, a footstep.
Rule 4. — Abstract nouns formed from
the possessive case singular feminine
of adjectives, are, like the stock from
which they spring, of the feminine
gender; as, ailne, beauty, from ailne,
for aluine, more beautiful; poss. case,
sing. fem. of aluin, beautiful; airde,
height; from airde, more high, poss.
case, sing fem. of árd, high; binne,
melody, sweetness of sound; from binn
melodious; níos binne, more melodious
finne, fairness; from fionn, fair; gile,
whiteness, from geal, white, uaisle,
nobility, from uasal, noble.
