Dair
Ogham letters ᚛ᚑᚌᚐᚋᚁᚂᚃᚓᚇᚐᚅ᚜ | |||||
Aicme Beithe ᚛ᚐᚔᚉᚋᚓᚁᚂᚃᚄᚅ᚜ |
Aicme Muine ᚛ᚐᚔᚉᚋᚓᚋᚌᚎᚏ᚜ | ||||
ᚁ | [b] | Beith | ᚋ | [m] | Muin |
ᚂ | [l] | Luis | ᚌ | [ɡ] | Gort |
ᚃ | [w] | Fearn | ᚍ | [ɡʷ] | nGéadal |
ᚄ | [s] | Sail | ᚎ | [st], [ts], [sw] | Straif |
ᚅ | [n] | Nion | ᚏ | [r] | Ruis |
Aicme hÚatha ᚛ᚐᚔᚉᚋᚓᚆᚇᚈᚉᚊ᚜ |
Aicme Ailme ᚛ᚐᚔᚉᚋᚓᚐᚑᚒᚓᚔ᚜ | ||||
ᚆ | [j] | Uath | ᚐ | [a] | Ailm |
ᚇ | [d] | Dair | ᚑ | [o] | Onn |
ᚈ | [t] | Tinne | ᚒ | [u] | Úr |
ᚉ | [k] | Coll | ᚓ | [e] | Eadhadh |
ᚊ | [kʷ] | Ceirt | ᚔ | [i] | Iodhadh |
Forfeda ᚛ᚃᚑᚏᚃᚓᚇᚐ᚜ | |||||
ᚕ | [ea], [k], [x], [eo] | Éabhadh | |||
ᚖ | [oi] | Ór | |||
ᚗ | [ui] | Uilleann | |||
ᚘ | [ia] | Ifín | |||
ᚙ | [x], [ai] | Eamhancholl | |||
ᚚ | [p] | Peith | |||
Dair is the Irish name of the seventh letter of the Ogham alphabet, ᚇ, meaning "oak". The Old Irish: dair (Early Old Irish: daur) is related to Welsh derw(en) and to Breton derv(enn). Its Proto-Indo-European root was *dóru ("tree"), possibly a deadjectival noun of *deru-, *drew- ("hard, firm, strong, solid"). Its phonetic value is [d].[1]
Dair forms the basis of some first names in Irish Gaelic such as Daire, Dara, Darragh and Daragh.
Bríatharogam
[edit]In the medieval kennings, called Bríatharogam or Word Ogham the verses associated with Dair are:
ardam dosae - "highest tree" in the Word Ogham of Morann mic Moín
grés soír - "handicraft of a craftsman" in the Word Ogham of Mac ind Óc
slechtam soíre - "most carved of craftsmanship" in the Word Ogham of Culainn.[2]
References
[edit]- ^ McManus, Damian (1991). A Guide to Ogam. Maynooth Monographs. Vol. 4. Co. Kildare, Ireland: An Sagart. p. 37. ISBN 1-870684-75-3. ISSN 0790-8806.
This letter name clearly corresponds to Old Irish dair/daur, gen. daro 'oak-tree', Welsh derw(en) 'oak-tree(s)' from the root *deru-, whence the value /d/.
- ^ Auraicept na n-Éces Calder, George, Edinburgh, John Grant (1917), reprint Four Courts Press (1995), ISBN 1-85182-181-3