brath

See also: bráð and bráth

English

Alternative forms

• breth, breith, brethe, braith, berth, berthe (Scotland)

Pronunciation

• Rhymes: -æθ

Etymology 1

From Middle English brath, broth, braith, from Old Norse bráðr (“hasty, sudden”), from Proto-Germanic *brēþaz (“hot, in a hurry, rushed”), from Proto-Indo-European *bʰrē-, *bʰerē- (“steam, vapour”), from *bʰer- (“to seethe, toss about, cook”). Cognate with Icelandic bráður (“quick, hasty, excited”), Swedish bråd (“hasty, sudden, urgent”), Danish bråd (“hasty, sudden”). Related to breath, brew.

Adjective

brath (comparative brather or more brath, superlative brathest or most brath)

1. (Can we verify⁽⁺⁾ this sense?) (UK dialectal) Hasty; violent; fierce; strong.

Synonyms

• snell

Derived terms

• brathly

Etymology 2

From Middle English brath, from Old Norse bráð (“haste”), from bráðr (“hasty”). See above.

Noun

brath (uncountable)

1. (Can we verify⁽⁺⁾ this sense?) (UK dialectal) Violence; fierceness; anger; fury; fit of rage.

Etymology 3

Noun

brath (countable and uncountable, plural braths)

1. Obsolete form of breath.
   • 1591, P[hilip] S[idney], “[Sonnet 93]”, in Sir P. S. His Astrophel and Stella […], London: […] [John Danter] for Thomas Newman, →OCLC, page 39:

     Yet Trueth, if Caitiues brath might call thee this, / Witnes with mee, that I fowle ſtumbling fell: / From careleſnes did in no manner growe, / But wit confuſd with too much care did miſſe.

   • 1618, Patri[c]k Anderson, The Colde Spring of Kinghorne Craig […], Edinburgh: Thomas Finlason, unnumbered page:

     It is powerfull in helping extenuat and leane perſons who are troubled with difficultie of drawing their Brath: gives vigour and ſtrength to vithered and debilitat members; […]

Anagrams

• Barth, barth

Cornish

Etymology

From Proto-Celtic *brazdos, alternative form of *brozdos (“point, tip”), from Proto-Indo-European *bʰresdʰh₁eti, from *bʰers- (“tip, point”). Related to Old Norse broddr. Cognate with Welsh brath and Irish, Manx, and Scottish Gaelic brod (“goad”).

Noun

brath m (plural brathow)

1. bite

Derived terms

• bratha (“to bite”, verb)
• brathek (“caustic”)

Verb

brath

1. inflection of bratha:
   1. third-person singular present indicative/future indicative
   2. second-person singular imperative

Mutation

Mutation of brath

radical	soft	aspirate	hard	mixed
brath	vrath	unchanged	prath	frath, vrath*

* after 'th
Note: Certain mutated forms of some words can never occur in standard Cornish.
All possible mutated forms are displayed for convenience.

References

• “brath” in Cornish Dictionary / Gerlyver Kernewek, Akademi Kernewek.

Irish

Etymology

From Middle Irish brath, from Old Irish mrath (“treachery, betrayal”), from Proto-Celtic *mratom (“deceit”), from Proto-Indo-European *merh₂- (“crumble, destroy”).

Pronunciation

• (Munster) IPA^(key): /bˠɾˠɑh/
• (Cois Fharraige) IPA^(key): /bˠɾˠa/
• (Ulster) IPA^(key): /bˠɾˠah/

Noun

brath m (genitive singular as substantive braith, genitive as verbal noun braite)

1. verbal noun of braith
2. perception, feeling, detection
3. spying, betrayal
4. expectation, intention; dependence, reliance (with ar (“on”))

   Tá mé ag brath ort.

   I’m relying on you.

Declension

Verbal noun:

Declension of brath (irregular, no plural)

bare forms singular nominative brath vocative a bhrath genitive braite dative brath forms with the definite article singular nominative an brath genitive an bhraite dative leis an mbrath don bhrath

Substantive:

Declension of brath (first declension, no plural)

bare forms singular nominative brath vocative a bhraith genitive braith dative brath forms with the definite article singular nominative an brath genitive an bhraith dative leis an mbrath don bhrath

Mutation

Mutated forms of brath

radical	lenition	eclipsis
brath	bhrath	mbrath

Note: Certain mutated forms of some words can never occur in standard Modern Irish.
All possible mutated forms are displayed for convenience.

Further reading

• Ó Dónaill, Niall (1977), “brath”, in Foclóir Gaeilge–Béarla [Irish–English Dictionary], Dublin: An Gúm, →ISBN
• Mullen, Alex (2019), Southern Gaul and the Mediterranean: Multilingualism and Multiple Identities in the Iron Age and Roman Periods, Cambridge University Press, →ISBN
• Zair, Nicholas (2012), The reflexes of the Proto-Indo-European laryngeals in Celtic, Leiden: Brill, →ISBN

Middle English

Etymology 1

Noun

brath

1. alternative form of bratthe

Etymology 2

Adjective

brath

1. alternative form of broth (“violent”)

Etymology 3

Noun

brath

1. alternative form of broth (“violence”)

Scottish Gaelic

Etymology

From Middle Irish brath, from Old Irish mrath (“treachery, betrayal”), from Proto-Celtic *mratom (“deceit”), from Proto-Indo-European *merh₂- (“crumble, destroy”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /pɾah/

Noun

brath m (genitive singular bratha, plural brathan)

1. knowledge, notice, notification, informing, information
2. treachery, advantage by unfair means, betraying, spying
3. treason, betrayal
4. intention, design
5. pursuit of information
6. expectation
7. opinion, idea, guess
8. mass, lump
9. lie
10. dependence

Derived terms

• aig sealbh tha brath
• gabh brath
• brath-foilleil

Mutation

Mutation of brath

radical	lenition
brath	bhrath

Note: Certain mutated forms of some words can never occur in standard Scottish Gaelic.
All possible mutated forms are displayed for convenience.

Further reading

• Edward Dwelly (1911), “brath”, in Faclair Gàidhlig gu Beurla le Dealbhan [The Illustrated Gaelic–English Dictionary], 10th edition, Edinburgh: Birlinn Limited, →ISBN
• Gregory Toner, Sharon Arbuthnot, Máire Ní Mhaonaigh, Marie-Luise Theuerkauf, Dagmar Wodtko, editors (2019), “brath”, in eDIL: Electronic Dictionary of the Irish Language
• Matasović, Ranko (2009), “*mrato-”, in Etymological Dictionary of Proto-Celtic (Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series; 9), Leiden: Brill, →ISBN, page 279
• Mullen, Alex (2019), Southern Gaul and the Mediterranean: Multilingualism and Multiple Identities in the Iron Age and Roman Periods, Cambridge University Press, →ISBN
• Zair, Nicholas (2012), The reflexes of the Proto-Indo-European laryngeals in Celtic, Leiden: Brill, →ISBN

Welsh

Etymology

From Proto-Celtic *brazdos, alternative form of *brozdos (“point, tip”) (compare Middle Irish brot (“goad, spike”)), from Proto-Indo-European *bʰresdʰh₁-, from *bʰers- (“tip, point”). Related to Old Norse broddr.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /braːθ/
• Rhymes: -aːθ

Noun

brath m (plural brathau)

1. bite, sting, stab

   Synonyms: gwaniad, pigiad

2. wound, injury

   Synonyms: gwân, brathiad, crafiad, archoll

3. (figurative) barb, wounding comment

Derived terms

• brathu (“to bite”)

Mutation

Mutated forms of brath

radical	soft	nasal	aspirate
brath	frath	mrath	unchanged

Note: Certain mutated forms of some words can never occur in standard Welsh.
All possible mutated forms are displayed for convenience.

Further reading

• Griffiths, Bruce; Glyn Jones, Dafydd (1995), “bite”, in Geiriadur yr Academi: The Welsh Academy English–Welsh Dictionary‎^[1], Cardiff: University of Wales Press, →ISBN
• D. G. Lewis, N. Lewis, editors (2005–present), “brath”, in Gweiadur: the Welsh–English Dictionary, Gwerin
• Matasović, Ranko (2009), “*brozdo-”, in Etymological Dictionary of Proto-Celtic (Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series; 9), Leiden: Brill, →ISBN, page 80
• R. J. Thomas, G. A. Bevan, P. J. Donovan, A. Hawke, et al., editors (1950–present), “brath”, in Geiriadur Prifysgol Cymru Online (in Welsh), University of Wales Centre for Advanced Welsh & Celtic Studies