OF PREPOSITIONS.
The Prepositions, strictly so called, are single words, most of them
monosyllables, employed to mark relation. Relation is also expressed by
combinations of words which often correspond to simple prepositions in
other languages. These combinations are, not improperly, ranked among the
prepositions. The following lists contain first the Prepositions properly
so called, which are all simple; secondly, improper Prepositions, which,
with one or two exceptions, seem all to be made up of a simple Preposition
and a Noun.
Proper Prepositions.
Aig, Ag, _at_.
Air, _on_.
Ann, _in_.
As, A, _out of_.
De, _of_.
Do, _to_
Eadar, _between_.
Fa, _upon_.
Fuidh, Fo, _under_.
Gu, Gus, _to_.
Gun, _without_.
Iar, _after_.
Le, Leis, _with, by_.
Mar, _like to_.
Mu, _about_.
O, Ua, _from_.
Os, _above_.
Re, Ri, Ris, _to_.
Roimh, _before_.
Tar, Thar, _over, across_.
Tre, }
Troimh, } _through_.
Throimh, }
Seach, _past, in comparison with_.
The Preposition ann is often written double, ann an eolas, _in knowledge_;
ann an gliocas, _in wisdom_. The final _n_ or _nn_ is changed into _m_
before a labial; as, am measg, _among_; ann am meadhon, _in midst_. Before
the Article or the Relative, this Preposition is written anns; as, anns an
toiseach, _in the beginning_, an cor anns am bheil e, _the condition in
which he is_; and in this situation the letters _ann_ are often dropped,
and the _s_ alone retained, 's an toiseach, _in the beginning_.
De, so far as I know, is found in no Scottish publications. The reasons
which have induced me to assign it a place among the prepositions will be
mentioned in treating of the combinations of the Proper Prepositions with
the Personal Pronouns.
The Preposition _do_, like the verbal particle, and the Possessive Pronoun
of the same sound, loses the _o_ before a vowel, and the consonant is
aspirated; thus, dh' Albainn, _to {117} Scotland_. It is also preceded
sometimes by the vowel _a_ when it follows a final consonant; as, dol a dh'
Eirin, _going to Ireland_. This _a_ seems to be nothing else than the vowel
of _do_ transposed; just as the letters of the pronouns mo, do, are in
certain situations transposed, and become am, ad. In this situation,
perhaps it would be advisible to join the _a_, in writing, to the _dh_
thus, dol adh Eirin. This would rid us of one superfluous _a_ appearing as
a separate inexplicable word. The same remarks apply to the prep. _de_;
_e.g._, armailt mh[`o]r de dhaoinibh agus _a dh'_ eachaibh, _a great army
of men and of horses_, lan do [de] reubainn agus a dh' aingidheachd, _full
of ravining and wickedness_, Luke xi. 39. Do, as has been already observed,
often loses the _d_ altogether, and is written _a_; as, dol a Dhuneidin,
_going to Edinburgh_. When the preposition is thus robbed of its
articulation, and only a feeble obscure vowel sound is left, another
corruption very naturally follows, and this vowel, as well as the
consonant, is discarded, not only in speaking, but even in writing; as,
chaidh e Dhuneidin, _he went to Edinburgh_; chaidh e th[`i]r eile, _he went
to another land_; where the nouns appear in their aspirated form, without
any word to govern them.
Fa has been improperly confounded with fuidh or fo. That fa signifies
_upon_, is manifest from such phrases as fa 'n bhord, _upon the board_,
said of a dead body stretched upon a board; leigeader fa l[`a]r, _dropped
on the ground_, Carswell: fa 'n adhbhar ud, _on that account_, equivalent
to air an adhbhar ud, see Psal. cvi. 42, and xlv. 2, metr. version.
The reason for admitting iar _after_, has been already given in treating of
the Compound Tenses of Verbs in Chap. V.
The manner of combining these prepositions with nouns will be shown in
treating of Syntax. The manner of combining them with the personal pronouns
must be explained in this place, because in that connection they appear in
a form somewhat different from their radical form. A Proper Preposition is
joined to a Personal Pronoun by incorporating both into one word, commonly
with some change on the Preposition, or on the Pronoun, or on both.
The following are the Prepositions which admit of this kind of combination,
incorporated with the several Personal Pronouns: {118}
Prep. Singular.
_1st Pers._ _2d Pers._ _3d Pers._
{ m. aige,
Aig, } agam, agad, { _at him;_
Ag; } _at_. _at me_, _at thee_. { f. aice,
{ _at her_.
{ m. air.
{ f. oirre.
Air; orm, ort, { uirre.
{ orra.
{ m. ann.
Ann; annam, annad, { f. innte.
{ m. as.
As; asam, asad, { f. aisde.
{ m. dheth.
De; dhiom, dhiot, { f. dh'i.
{ dhomh, } { m. dha.
Do; { dhom, } dhuit, { f. dh'i.
Eadar; ... ... ...
{ m. fodha.
Fo, Fuidh; fodham, fodhad, { f. fuidhpe.
{ m. h-uige.
Gu; h-ugam, h-ugad, { f. h-uice.
{ m. leis.
Le; leam, leat, { f. leatha.
{ m. uime.
Mu; umam, umad, { f. uimpe.
{ m. uaith.
O, Ua; uam, uait, { f. uaipe.
{ m. ris.
Re, Ri; rium, riut, { f. rithe.
{ m. roimhe.
Roimh; romham, romhad, { f. roimpe.
Thar; tharam, tharad, f. thairte.
{ m. troimhe.
Troimh; tromham, tromhad, { f. troimpe.
{119}
Plural.
_1st Pers._ _2d Pers._ _3d Pers._
Aig, } againn, agaibh, aca,
Ag; } _at_. _at us_. _at you_. _at them_.
Air; oirnn, oirbh, orra.
Ann; annainn, annaibh, annta.
As; asainn, asaibh, asda.
De; dhinn, dhibh, dhiu.
Do; dhuinn, dhuibh, dhoibh.
Eadar; eadarainn, eadaraibh, eatorra.
Fo, Fuidh; fodhainn, fodhaibh, fodhpa.
Gu; h-ugainn, h-ugaibh, h-uca.
Le; leinn, leibh, leo.
Mu; umainn, umaibh, umpa.
O, Ua; uainn, uaibh, uapa.
Re, Ri; ruinn, ribh, riu.
Roimh; romhainn, romhaibh, rompa.
Thar; tharuinn, tharuibh, tharta.
Troimh; tromhainn, tromhaibh, trompa.
{120}
In most of these compound terms, the fragments of the Pronouns which enter
into their composition, especially those of the first and second Persons,
are very conspicuous[82]. These fragments take after them occasionally the
emphatic syllables _sa_, _san_, _ne_, in the same manner as the Personal
Pronouns themselves do; as, agamsa _at ME_, aigesan _at HIM_, uainne _from
US_.
The two prepositions _de_ and _do_ have long been confounded together, both
being written _do_. It can hardly be supposed that the composite words
dhiom, dhiot, &c. would have been distinguished from dhomh, dhuit, &c., by
orthography, pronunciation, and signification, if the Prepositions, as well
as the Pronouns, which enter into the composition of these words, had been
originally the same. In dhiom, &c., the initial Consonant is always
followed by a small vowel. In dhomh, &c., with one exception, it is
followed by a broad vowel. Hence it is presumable that the Preposition
which is the root of dhiom, &c., must have had a small vowel after _d_,
whereas the root of dhomh, &c., has a broad vowel after d. _De_ is a
preposition preserved in Latin (a language which has many marks of affinity
with the Gaelic), in the same sense which must have belonged to the root of
dhiom, &c., in Gaelic. The preposition in question itself occurs in Irish,
in the name given to a Colony which is supposed to have settled in Ireland,
A.M. 2540, called Tuath de Danann. (See Lh. "Arch. Brit." tit. x. _voc._
Tuath; also Miss Brooke's "Reliques of Irish Poetry," p. 102.) These facts
afford more than a presumption that the true root of the Composite dhiom,
&c., is _de_, and that it signifies _of_. It has therefore appeared proper
to separate it from _do_, and to assign to each its appropriate
meaning[83].
{121}
Dhiom, dhiot, &c., and dhomh, dhuit, &c., are written with a _plain d_
after a Lingual; diom, domh, &c.
Eadar is not incorporated with the pronouns of the singular number, but
written separately; eadar mis agus thusa, _between me and thee_.
In combining _gu_ and _mu_ with the pronouns, the letters of the
Prepositions suffer a transposition, and are written _ug_, _um_. The former
of these was long written with _ch_ prefixed, thus chugam, &c. The
translators of the Scriptures, observing that _ch_ neither corresponded to
the pronunciation, nor made part of the radical Preposition, exchanged it
for _th_, and wrote thugam. The _th_, being no more than a simple
aspiration, corresponds indeed to the common mode of pronouncing the word.
Yet it may well be questioned whether the _t_, even though aspirated, ought
to have a place, if _g_ be the only radical consonant belonging to the
Preposition. The component parts of the word might be exhibited with less
disguise, and the common pronunciation (whether correct or not), also
represented, by retaining the _h_ alone, and connecting it with the
Preposition by a hyphen, as when written before a Noun, thus h-ugam,
h-ugaibh, &c.
Improper Prepositions.
Air cheann; _at [the] end_, against a certain time.
Air feadh, }
Air fad; } throughout, during.
Air muin; _on the back_, mounted on.
Air sg[`a]th; for the sake, on pretence.
Air son; on account.
Air t[`o]ir; in pursuit.
Air beulaobh; _on the fore side_, before.
Air culaobh; _on the back side_, behind.
Am fochair; _in presence_.
Am measg; _in the mixture_, amidst, among.
{122}
An aghaidh; _in the face_, against, in opposition.
An ceann; _in the end_, at the expiration.
An comhail, }
An coinnimh; } _in meeting_, to meet.
An cois, }
A chois; } _at the foot_, near to, hard by.
An d[`a]il; _in the rencounter_, to meet.
An diaigh, }
An deigh, } probably for }
An deaghaidh, } an deireadh; } in the end, after.
An d['e]is; }
An eiric; in return, in requital.
Am fianuis, }
An lathair; } in presence.
An lorg; _in the track_, in consequence.
As eugais, }
As easbhuidh; } _in want_, without.
As leth; in behalf, for the sake.
A los; in order to, with the intention of.
Car; during.
Do bhrigh, a bhrigh; _by virtue_, because.
Do ch[`o]ir, a ch[`o]ir; _to the presence_, near, implying motion.
Do chum, a chum[84]; to, towards, in order to.
Do dh[`i]th, a dh[`i]th, }
Dh' easbhuidh; } for want.
Dh' fhios; _to the knowledge_, to.
Dh' ionnsuidh; _to the approach_, or _onset_, toward.
Do r['e]ir, a r['e]ir; according to.
Do thaobh, a thaobh; _on the side_, with respect, concerning.
Fa ch[`u]is; by reason, because.
Fa chomhair; opposite.
Mu choinnimh; opposite, over against.
Mu thimchoill, timchioll; _by the circuit_, around.
O bharr, bharr; _from the top_, off.
Os ceann; _on the top_, above, atop.
{123}
R['e]; _duration_, during.
Tar['e]is; _after_[85].
Trid; through, by means.
It is evident, from inspection, that almost all these improper Prepositions
are compounded; and comprehend, as one of their component parts, a Noun,
which is preceded by a simple or Proper Preposition; like the English, _on
account, with respect_, &c. The words ceann, aghaidh, lorg, barr, taobh,
&c., are known to be real Nouns, because they are employed in that capacity
in other connections, as well as in the phrases here enumerated. The case
is not so clear with regard to son, cum, or cun, reir, which occur only in
the above phrases; but it is probable that these are nouns likewise, and
that, when combined with simple Prepositions, they constitute phrases of
precisely the same structure with the rest of the foregoing list[86].
Comhair is probably comh-aire _mutual attention_. D[`a]il and c[`o]ir, in
the sense of proximity, are found in their compounds comh-dhail and fochair
[fa ch[`o]ir.] T[`o]ir, in like manner, in its derivative t[`o]ireachd,
_the act of pursuing_. Dh' fhios, _to the knowledge_, must have been
originally applied to persons only. So it is used in many Gaelic songs:
beir mo shoiridh le d[`u]rachd dh' fhios na cailinn, &c., _bear my good
wishes with cordiality to the knowledge of the maid_, &c., i.e., _present
my affectionate regards_, &c. This appropriate meaning and use of the
phrase came by degrees to be overlooked; and it was employed, promiscuously
with do chum and dh' ionnsuidh, to signify _unto_ in a more general sense.
If this analysis of the expression be just, then ghios[87] must be deemed
only a different, and a corrupt manner of writing dh' fhios.
In the improper preposition os ceann, the noun has almost {124} always been
written cionn. Yet in all other situations, the same noun is uniformly
written ceann. Whence has arisen this diversity in the orthography of a
simple monosyllable? And is it maintained upon just grounds? It must have
proceeded either from a persuasion that there are two distinct nouns
signifying _top_, one of which is to be written ceann, and the other
cionn[88]; or from an opinion that, granting the two words to be the same
individual noun, yet it is proper to distinguish its meaning when used in
the capacity of a preposition, from its meaning in other situations, by
spelling it in different ways. I know of no good argument in support of the
former of these two opinions; nor has it probably been ever maintained. The
latter opinion, which seems to be the real one, is founded on a principle
subversive of the analogy and stability of written language, namely, that
the various significations of the same word are to be distinguished in
writing, by changing its letters, the constituent elements of the word. The
variation in question, instead of serving to point out the meaning of a
word or phrase in one place, from its known meaning in another connection,
tends directly to disguise it; and to mislead the reader into a belief that
the words, which are thus presented to him under different forms, are
themselves radically and essentially different. If the same word has been
employed to denote several things somewhat different from each other, that
does by no means appear a sufficient reason why the writers of the language
should make as many words of one[89].
{125}
The use of the _proper Prepositions_ has been already shown in the
composition of adverbial phrases, and of the _improper Prepositions_. The
following examples show the further use of them in connection with Nouns
and Verbs, and in some idiomatic expressions which do not always admit of
being literally rendered in English.
Ag, aig.
_At_: aig an dorus, _at the door_; aig an tigh, _at the house, at home_.
_By reason of_: aig ro mheud aighir 's a sh[`o]lais, _by reason of his
great joy and satisfaction_, Smith's _Seann d[`a]na_, p. 9; ag meud a
mhiann _through intense desire_, Psal. lxxxiv. 2, metr. vers.; ag
lionmhoireachd, Psal. xl. 5.
Signifying possession: tha tuill aig na sionnaich, _the foxes have holes_;
bha aig duine araidh dithis mhac, _a certain man had two sons_; cha n'eil
fhios agam, _I have not the knowledge of it, I do not know it_.
Chaidh agam air, _I have prevailed over him_, Psal. xiii. 4, metr. vers.
Joined to the Infinitive of Verbs: ag imeachd, _a-walking, walking_.
Air.
On, upon: air an l[`a]r, _on the ground_; air an l[`a] sin, _on that day_;
air an adhbhar sin, _on that account, for that reason_.
{126}
Denoting claim of debt: ioc dhomh na bheil agam ort, _pay me what thou
owest me_, Matt. xviii. 28; cia meud ata aig mo thighearn ortsa? _how much
owest thou unto my lord?_ Luke xvi. 57.[90]
Denoting an oath: air m' fhocal, _upon my word_; air l[`a]imh d' athar 's
do sheanathar, _by the hand of your father and grandfather_.
Tha eagal, mulad, sg[`i]os, ocras, &c., air, _he is afraid, sad, fatigued,
hungry_, &c.
Thig mo bheul air do cheartas, is air do chli[`u], _my mouth shall speak of
thy justice and thy praise_, Psal. xxxv. 28. metr.; thig mo bheul air
gliocas, _my mouth shall speak of wisdom_, Psal. xlix. 3, metr. v.; sin
c[`u]is air am bheil mi nis a' teachd, _that is the matter of which I am
now to treat_.
Tog ort, _rouse thyself, bestir thyself_, Psal lxxiv. 22, metr. v.
Chaidh agam air, _I prevailed over him_, Psal. xiii. 4.; metr.; 'S ann
ormsa chaidh, _it was I that was worsted_.
Thug e am monadh air, _he betook himself to the mountain_.
_In respect of_: cha 'n fhaca mi an samhuil air olcas, _I never saw their
like for badness_, Gen. xli. 19; air a lughad, _however small it be_.
_Joined with, accompanied by_: m[`o]ran iarruinn air bheag faobhar, _much
iron with little edge_, McIntyre's Songs. Oidhche bha mi 'n a theach, air
mh[`o]ran b[`i]dh 's air bheagan eudaich, _I was a night in his house, with
plenty of {127} food, but scanty clothing_; air leth laimh, _having but one
hand_.
Denoting measure or dimension: d[`a] throidh air [`a]irde, _two feet in
height_.
Olc air mhath leat e, _whether you take it well or ill_.
Ann, ann an, anns.
_In.:_ Anns an tigh, _in the house_; anns an oidhche, _in the night_; ann
an d[`o]chas, _in hope_; anns a' bharail sin, _of that opinion_.
Denoting existence: ta abhainn ann, _there is a river_, Psal. xlvi. 4,
metr.; nach bithinn ann ni 's m[`o], _that I should not be any more_; b'
fhearr a bhi marbh na ann, _it were better to be dead than to be alive_;
ciod a th' ann? _what is it?_ is mise th' ann, _it is I_; mar gu b' ann,
_as it were_; tha e 'n a dhuine ionraic, _he is a just man_; tha i 'n a
bantraich, _she is a widow_[91].
Marking emphasis: is ann air eigin a th[`a]r e as, _it was with difficulty
he got off_; an [`a]ite seasamh is ann a theich iad, _instead of standing
(keeping their ground) they fled_; nach freagair thu? fhreagair mi ann,
_will you not answer? I have answered_.
As.
_Out of:_ as an d['u]thaich, _out of the country_.
Denoting extinction: tha an solus, no an teine, air dol as, _the light, or
the fire, is gone out_.
As an alt, _out of joint_; as a' ghualainn, as a' chruachainn, as an
uilinn, &c., _dislocated in the shoulder, hip, elbow-joint_.
{128}
Chaidh e as, _he escaped_.
Cuir as da, _destroy him_, or _it_.
Chaidh as da, _he is perished, undone_.
Thug e na buinn as, _he scampered off_.
Dubh as, _blot out_.
De.
_Of:_ Armailt mh[`o]r de dhaoinibh agus a dh' eachaibh, _a great army of
men and horses_.
_Off:_ Bha na geugan air an sgathadh dheth, _the branches were lopped off_;
thug iad an ceann deth, _they beheaded him_.
Dh' aon r[`u]n, _with one consent, with one purpose_; dh' aon bharail,
_with one mind, judgment_.
A l[`a] agus a dh' oidhche, _i.e._, de l[`a] agus de oidhche, _by day and
by night_. Lat. _de nocte_, Hor.
Saidhbhreas m['o]r d'a mheud, _riches however great_. Psal. cxix. 14, metr.
Do.
_To:_ Tabhair dhomh, _give to me, give me_; thug sinn a bos m[`i]n do
Dhearg, _we gave her soft hand to Dargo_.
Dh' eirich sud dha gu h-obann, _that befell him suddenly_. Mar sin duinne
gu latha, _so it fared with us till day, so we passed the night_; ma 's olc
dhomh, cha n-fhearr dhoibh, _if it goes ill with me, they fare no better_.
Latha dhomhsa siubhal bheann, _one day as I travelled the hills_; latha
dhuinn air machair Alba, _one day when we were in the lowlands of Scotland;
on Scotia's plains_.
Eadar.
_Between:_ eadar an dorus agus an ursainn, _between the door and the post_.
Dh' eirich eadar mi agus mo choimhearsnach, _a quarrel arose betwixt me and
my neighbour_.
{129} Eadar mh[`o]r agus bheag, _both great and small_, Psal. xlix. 2,
metr.; Rev. xix. 5, eadar bhochd agus nochd, _both the poor and the naked_.
Fa.
_Upon:_ Fa 'n bh[`o]rd, _upon the board_; leigeadar fa l[`a]r, _was dropped
on the ground, omitted, neglected_. Carswel. Fa 'n adhbhar ud, _on that
account_; creud fa 'n abradh iad? _wherefore should they say?_
Fa sheachd, _seven times_, Psal. vii. 6, metr.; fa cheud, _a hundred
times_, Psal. lxii. 9, metr.
Fuidh, fo.
_Under:_ Fuidh 'n bh[`o]rd, _under the board_; fuidh bhl[`a]th _in
blossom_; tha an t-arbhar fo dh['e]is, _the corn is in the ear_; fuidh
smuairean, _under concern_; fo ghruaim, _gloomy_; fo mhi-ghean, _in bad
humour_; fuidh mhi-chliu, _under bad report_.
Denoting intention or purpose: air bhi fuidhe, _it being his purpose_, Acts
xx. 7; tha tighinn fodham, _it is my intention or inclination_.
Gu, Gus.
_To:_ O thigh gu tigh, _from house to house_; gu cr[`i]ch mo shaoghail
fein, _to the end of my life_; gus an crion gu luaithre a' chlach, _until
the stone shall crumble to dust_. Sm. Seann d[`a]na.
A' bhliadhna gus an [`a]m so, _this time twelvemonth, a year ago_; a
sheachduin gus an d['e], _yesterday se'ennight_.
Mile gu leth, _a mile and a half_; bliadhna gu leth, _a year and a half_.
Gun.
_Without:_ Gun amharus, _without doubt_; gun bhrogan, _without shoes_; gun
fhios, _without knowledge, unwittingly_; gun fhios nach faic thu e, _in
case you may see him_, {130} _if perhaps you may see him_; gun fhios am
faic thu e, _if perhaps you may not see him_. Gun chomas aig air, _without
his being able to prevent it, or avoid it_; _involuntarily_. Gniomh gun
chomain, _an unmerited, or unprovoked deed_. Dh' [`a]ithn e dha gun sin a
dheanamh, _he ordered him not to do that_. Fhuair iad rabhadh gun iad a
philltinn, _they were warned not to return_.
Iar.
_After_: Iar sin, _after that_; iar leughadh an t-Soisgeil, _after the
reading of the Gospel_; iar tuiteam sios da aig a chosaibh, _having fallen
down at his feet_; bha mi iar mo mhealladh, _I was received_.
Le, leis.
_With_: Chaidh mi leis a' chuideachd mh[`o]ir, _I went with the multitude_.
Denoting the instrument: mharbh e Eoin leis a' chlaidheamh, _he killed John
with the sword_.
Denoting the agent: thomhaiseadh le Diarmid an torc, _the boar was measured
by Diarmid_.
Denoting possession: is le Donull an leabhar, _the book is Donald's_; cha
leis e, _it is not his_.
Denoting opinion or feeling: is fada leam an l[`a] gu h-oidhche, _I think
the day long, or tedious, till night come_; is cruaidh leam do chor, _I
think your case a hard one_; is d[`o]cha leam, _I think it probable_; is
doilich leam, _I am sorry_; is aithreach leis, _he repents_.
_Along_: leis an t-sruth _along the stream_; leis an leathad, _down the
declivity_.
Leig leam, _let me alone_; leig leis, _let him alone_.
Mu.
_About_: ag iadhadh mu a cheann, _winding about his head_; labhair e mu
Iudas, _he spoke about Judas_; nuair smachduichear duine leat mu 'lochd,
_when thou {131} correctest a man for his sin_, Psal. xxxix. 11, metr.; sud
am f[`a]th mu'n goir a' chorr, _that is the reason of the heron's cry_.
Seann d[`a]na. Sud f[`a]th mu 'n guidheann ort na naoimh, _for this reason
will the saints make supplication to Thee_.
O.
_From_: O bhaile gu baile, _from town to town_; o mhadainn gu feasgar,
_from morning to evening_; o 'n l[`a] thainig mi dhachaidh, _from the day
that I came home_; o 'n l[`a], is often abridged into la; as, la thainig mi
dhachaidh, _since I came home_.
_Since_, _because_: thugamaid uil' oirnn a' bhanais, o fhuair sinn cuireadh
dhol ann, _let us all to the wedding, since we have been bidden to it_.
Denoting want in opposition to possession, denoted by _aig_: na tha uainn
's a b' fheairrd sinn againn, _what we want and should be the better for
having_.
Implying desire: ciod tha uait? _what would you have?_ Tha claidheamh uam,
_I want a sword_.
Os.
_Above_: Mar togam os m' uil' aoibhneas [`a]rd cathair Ierusaleim, _if I
prefer not Jerusalem above my chief joy_, Psal. cxxxvii. 6, metr.; os mo
cheann, _above me_, _over me_.
Ri, ris.
_To_: cosmhuil ri mac righ, _like to the son of a king_; chuir iad teine
ris an tigh, _they set fire to the house_.
Maille ri, _together with_.
Laimh ris a' bhalla, _nigh to the wall_.
Ri l[`a] gaoithe, _on a day of wind_; ri fad mo r['e] 's mo l[`a], _during
all the days of my life_; ri l[`i]nn Righ Uilliam, _in the reign of King
William_.
Na bi rium, _don't molest me_.
Feuch ris, _try it_.
Cuir ris, _ply your work_, _exert yourself_; cuirear na {132} nithe so
ribh, _these things shall be added unto you_, Matt. vi. 33. Tha an Spiorad
ag cur ruinn na saorsa, _the Spirit applieth to us the redemption_, Assemb.
Sh. Catech.
_Exposed_: tha an craicionn ris, _the skin is exposed, or bare_; leig ris,
_expose or make manifest_.
Roimh.
_Before_: roimh 'n charbad, _before the chariot_; roimh 'n chamhair,
_before the dawn_; roimh na h-uile nithibh, _before, in preference to, all
things_; chuir mi romham, _I set before me, purposed, intended_.
Imich romhad, _go forward_; dh' fhalbh e roimhe, _he went his way_, _he
went off_.
Seach.
_Past_: chaidh e seach an dorus, _he passed by the door_.
_In comparison with_: is trom a' chlach seach a' chl[`o]ineag, _the stone
is heavy compared with the down_.
Tar, thar.
_Over_, _across_: chaidh e thar an amhainn, thar a' mhonadh, _he went over
the river, over the mountain_; tha sin thar m' eolas, thar mo bheachd, &c.,
_that is beyond my knowledge, beyond my comprehension_, &c.
Tre, troimh, throimh.
_Through_: tre uisge is tre theine, _through water and through fire_.
OF INSEPARABLE PREPOSITIONS.
The following initial syllables, used only in composition, are prefixed to
nouns, adjectives, or verbs, to modify or alter their signification:--
{133}
An[92], Di, Ao, ea, eu, eas, Mi, Neo:--Privative syllables signifying
_not_, or serving to change the signification of the words to which they
are prefixed into its contrary; as, socair _ease_, anshocair _distress_,
_uneasiness_; ciontach _guilty_, dichiontach _innocent_; treabh _to
cultivate_, dithreabh _an uncultivated place_, _a desert_; dionach _tight_,
_close_, aodionach _leaky_; c[`o]ir _justice_, eucoir _injustice_; sl[`a]n
_whole_, _in health_, easlan _sick_; caraid _a friend_, eascaraid _an
enemy_; buidheachas _gratitude_, mibhuidheachas _ingratitude_; claon
_awry_, neochlaon _unbiassed_, _impartial_; duine _a man_, neodhuine _a
worthless unnatural creature_.
An, ain, intensitive, denoting an immoderate degree, or faulty excess; as,
tighearnas _dominion_, aintighearnas _tyranny_; tromaich _to make heavy_,
antromaich _to make very heavy_, _to aggravate_; teas _heat_, ainteas
_excessive heat_; miann _desire_, ainmhiann _inordinate desire_, _lust_.
Ais, ath, _again_, _back_; as, eirigh _rising_, aiseirigh _resurrection_;
beachd _view_, ath-bheachd _retrospect_; f[`a]s _growth_, ath-fh[`a]s
_after-growth_.
Bith, _continually_; as, bithdheanamh _doing continually_, _busy_; am
bithdheantas _incessantly_.
Co, com, comh, con, _together_, _equally_, _mutually_; as, gleacadh
_fighting_, co-ghleacadh _fighting together_; lion _to fill_, colion _to
fulfil_, _accomplish_; ith _to eat_, comith _eating together_; radh
_saying_, comhradh _conversation, speech_; trom _weight_, cothrom _equal
weight_, _equity_; aois _age_, comhaois _a contemporary_.
Im, _about_, _round_, _entire_; as, l[`a]n _full_, iomlan _quite complete_;
gaoth _wind_, iomghaoth _a whirlwind_; slainte _health_, iom-shlainte
_perfect health_.
{134}
In, or ion, _worthy_: as, ion-mholta _worthy to be praised_: ion-roghnuidh
_worthy to be chosen_, Psal. xxv. 12, metr. vers.
So, _easily_, _gently_: as, faicsin _seeing_, so-fhaicsin _easily seen_;
sion _weather_, soinion [so-shion] _calm weather_; sgeul _a tale_, soisgeul
_a good tale_, _gospel_.
Do, _with difficulty_, _evil_; as, tuigsin _understanding_, do-thuigsin
_difficult to be understood_; doinion _stormy weather_; beart _deed,
exploit_. do-bheart _evil deed_.