breac

Irish

Etymology

From Old Irish brecc (“speckled, spotted; trout”), from Proto-Celtic *brikkos. Cognate with Breton breac’h and Welsh brych.

The verb is from Middle Irish breccaid (“to speckle”), from the adjective.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /bʲɾʲak/

Adjective

breac (genitive singular masculine bric, genitive singular feminine brice, plural breaca, comparative brice)

1. speckled, spotted

Declension

Declension of breac

Positive	singular		plural
	masculine	feminine	strong noun	weak noun
nominative	breac	bhreac	breaca; bhreaca2
vocative	bhric		breaca
genitive		brice	breaca	breac
dative	breac; bhreac1	bhreac; bhric (archaic)	breaca; bhreaca2
Comparative	níos brice
Superlative	is brice

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

• alabhreac (“piebald; pied”, adjective)
• bairín breac m (“barmbrack”)
• capall alabhreac m (“pinto”)
• iarnbhreac (“ironshot”, adjective)

Verb

breac (present analytic breacann, future analytic breacfaidh, verbal noun breacadh, past participle breactha)

1. to speckle

Conjugation

Conjugation of breac (first conjugation – A)

indicative	singular			plural			direct relative	autonomous
	first	second	third	first	second	third
present	breacaim	breacann tú; breacair†	breacann sé, sí	breacaimid; breacann muid	breacann sibh	breacann siad; breacaid†	a bhreacann; a bhreacas	breactar
past	bhreac mé; bhreacas	bhreac tú; bhreacais	bhreac sé, sí	bhreacamar; bhreac muid	bhreac sibh; bhreacabhair	bhreac siad; bhreacadar	a bhreac	breacadh
past habitual	bhreacainn / breacainn‡	bhreactá / breactá‡	bhreacadh sé, sí / breacadh sé, sí‡	bhreacaimis; bhreacadh muid / breacaimis‡; breacadh muid‡	bhreacadh sibh / breacadh sibh‡	bhreacaidís; bhreacadh siad / breacaidís‡; breacadh siad‡	a bhreacadh	bhreactaí / breactaí‡
	singular			plural			direct relative	autonomous
	first	second	third	first	second	third
future	breacfaidh mé; breacfad	breacfaidh tú; breacfair†	breacfaidh sé, sí	breacfaimid; breacfaidh muid	breacfaidh sibh	breacfaidh siad; breacfaid†	a bhreacfaidh; a bhreacfas	breacfar
conditional	bhreacfainn / breacfainn‡	bhreacfá / breacfá‡	bhreacfadh sé, sí / breacfadh sé, sí‡	bhreacfaimis; bhreacfadh muid / breacfaimis‡; breacfadh muid‡	bhreacfadh sibh / breacfadh sibh‡	bhreacfaidís; bhreacfadh siad / breacfaidís‡; breacfadh siad‡	a bhreacfadh	bhreacfaí / breacfaí‡
subjunctive	singular			plural			direct relative	autonomous
	first	second	third	first	second	third
present	go mbreaca mé; go mbreacad†	go mbreaca tú; go mbreacair†	go mbreaca sé, sí	go mbreacaimid; go mbreaca muid	go mbreaca sibh	go mbreaca siad; go mbreacaid†	—	go mbreactar
past	dá mbreacainn	dá mbreactá	dá mbreacadh sé, sí	dá mbreacaimis; dá mbreacadh muid	dá mbreacadh sibh	dá mbreacaidís; dá mbreacadh siad	—	dá mbreactaí
imperative	singular			plural			direct relative	autonomous
	first	second	third	first	second	third
—	breacaim	breac	breacadh sé, sí	breacaimis	breacaigí; breacaidh†	breacaidís	—	breactar
past participle	breactha
verbal noun	breacadh

^† archaic or dialect form
^‡ dependent form

Noun

breac m (genitive singular bric, nominative plural bric)

1. trout

Declension

Declension of breac (first declension)

bare forms singular plural nominative breac bric vocative a bhric a bhreaca genitive bric breac dative breac bric forms with the definite article singular plural nominative an breac na bric genitive an bhric na mbreac dative leis an mbreac don bhreac leis na bric

Derived terms

• breac donn m (“brown trout”)

Mutation

Mutated forms of breac

radical	lenition	eclipsis
breac	bhreac	mbreac

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

Further reading

• Dinneen, Patrick S. (1904), “breac”, in Foclóir Gaeḋilge agus Béarla [Irish and English Dictionary], 1st edition, Dublin: Irish Texts Society, page 82
• Ó Dónaill, Niall (1977), “breac”, in Foclóir Gaeilge–Béarla [Irish–English Dictionary], Dublin: An Gúm, →ISBN

Old English

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /bræ͜ɑːk/
• Rhymes: -æ͜ɑːk

Verb

brēac

1. first/third-person singular preterite indicative of brūcan

Scottish Gaelic

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /b̥ɾʲɛxk/
• (Lewis) IPA^(key): /b̥ðek/, [b̥ðe̞hk]
• (Barra) IPA^(key): [b̥ɾʲɛxk~b̥ʒɛxk]

Etymology 1

From Old Irish brecc (“speckled, spotted, variegated”), from Proto-Celtic *brikkos.

Adjective

breac (comparative nas brice, superlative as brice)

1. speckled, spotted, piebald
2. embossed
3. chequered

Declension

Declension of breac (type I adjective)

	masculine	feminine	plural
nominative	breac	bhreac	breaca
genitive	bhric	brice	breaca
dative	breac	bhric	breaca
vocative	bhric	bhreac	breaca

Derived terms

• am fiabhras breac
• fòghnan-breac
• iolair-bhreac

Verb

breac (past bhreac, future breacaidh, verbal noun breacadh, past participle breacte)

1. speckle
2. sprinkle, scatter

Conjugation

Conjugation of breac (regular)

indicative	independent		dependent
	personal	impersonal	personal	impersonal
past	bhreac	bhreacadh	bhreac	bhreacadh
future	breacaidh	breacar breactar	breac	breacar breactar
relative future	bhreacas	bhreacar	—	—
conditional	independent		dependent
	personal	impersonal	personal	impersonal
first person singular	bhreacainn	bhreactadh bhreacaist1 bhreacaiste1	breacainn	breactadh breacaist1 breacaiste1
first person plural	bhreacamaid bhreacadh sinn		breacamaid breacadh sinn
second/third person	bhreacadh		breacadh
imperative	independent
	singular	plural	impersonal
first person	breacam	breacamaid	breacar breactar
second person	breac	breacaibh
third person	breacadh
past participle	breacta
verbal noun	breacadh

1. Lewis dialect form

Etymology 2

From Old Irish brecc (“trout”).

Noun

breac m (genitive singular bric, plural bric)

1. trout, brown trout
2. (dialect) salmon

Mutation

Mutation of breac

radical	lenition
breac	bhreac

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), “breac”, 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), “1 brecc”, in eDIL: Electronic Dictionary of the Irish Language
• Gregory Toner, Sharon Arbuthnot, Máire Ní Mhaonaigh, Marie-Luise Theuerkauf, Dagmar Wodtko, editors (2019), “2 brecc”, in eDIL: Electronic Dictionary of the Irish Language