[Let us hope for many such contributions as the foregoing from our Scotch friends. “Cus” seems strange. “Uilear” seems to represent Irish fuláir, formerly furáil, furóil, eráil, excess, too much. The original meaning of the phrase ní fuláir duit, “you must or ought,” was “it is not too much for you (to do).” Compare the equivalent phrase, ní mór duit. “Iomadh” is the Irish iomḋa. Iomad is common in Ulster; in Connaught, iomadaṁail is often corrupted to ionmadaṁail. “Liuthad” seems to represent our liaċt. “Fleasgach,” a youth, is not, I think, used in Irish. It is, no doubt, from fleasg, a wand.]
(51) Lítis, Oct., Note 45: Rev. M. P. Hickey's etymology of this word (= Greek λῖτος or λειότης) is untenable. (1) There is no other instance of a loan-word direct from Greek. (2) The word is still remembered by many old shanachies in West Cork and Kerry in the sense of “lily.” (3) It evidently refers to colour (whiteness) not to smoothness, being constantly contrasted with other objects of red colour. Lile is used in exactly the same way:
’N-a raiḃ an lile ag súgraḋ tré luise lonnraċ,
mar sgáil na gcaor.
Eoġan Ruaḋ Ua Súillioḃáin.
A gruaḋ mar rós ag driṫleaḋ,
Is buan ’n-a gcoṁarsa an lile.
Toirḋealḃaċ Ua Cearḃalláin.
The contrast of white and red in describing complexions, especially of women, is a commonplace in Irish literature. I suggest the following etymology: lítis=lits (sup- posed Norman form, like fitz=fils, son =old French, lils, now lis, from low Latin lilius for lilium. Another Irish form líṫ is found, probably from modern French, lis, a lily.
Bhí sgáil na gcaor ag lasaḋ
Tré ḃáine an líṫ ’n-a leacain.
Eoġan Ruaḋ Ua Súillioḃáin.
J. H. Lloyd.
(52) Lítis: I remember hearing in a dialogue between a spirit and a woman who used to stay up spinning at night the following:
Spirit: Téiriġ a ċodlaḋ, a ċailín ċríonna.
Woman: Fan go fóill, a ġiolla mo lítis.
David O’Callaghan, Oatquarter N.,S.,
Aran, Galway.
Lítis is very commonly used here to express fairness or whiteness. An old man told me it meant the lettuce plant, the head of which, when full grown, is whiter than the white of cabbage.—D. O’Sullivan, Ballyhearney N.S., Valentia Island, Kerry.
In this part of Cork county, ċoṁ geal le lítis is a very common expression. Lítis is understood to be a plant, and is identified by some with the lily.—D. J. Galvin, Glashakinleen N.S., Newmarket.
(53) Lítis: I could give many instances in which this word occurs, and in every instance it means a lustre on the countenance of a beautiful maiden. Ceapaire (Oct., p. 111) in the Counties of Mayo and Galway, means butter spread thickly on a piece of bread: deun deifir ⁊ cuirdead ceapaire maiṫ ar d’ arán. Millín is applied in Connaught to a small pat of butter given by the house- wife after churning as a recompense for doing odd jobs. I heard the following in Mayo: nuair ḃí mé sa mbaile le mo ṁáṫair. d’ḟaġainn suidín, prisdeal ⁊ millín. Suidín, a pudding of new milk and oatmeal. Prisdeal, a “cast” of roasted potatoes. Here is an expression I heard a the foot of Sliaḃ an Iarainn, Co. Leitrim: Bheurfaiḋ mé ḋuit suidín, mil, ⁊ bainne caoraċ ċuirfeas lítis ar do ġnúis.—An Dílleaċt.
(54) Oct. p. 110, tonaċaḋ means literally “washing” a corpse. Garraḃuaic, recte garḃuaic, storm. Duḃán alla is chiefly used in Cork, but I have also heard ruaḋán alla. P. 112, the expression ċoṁ geal leis an lítis is in common use in Muskerry. I suspect lítis is a Gaelic adaptation of “lotus,” and refers to the white water-lily, found here chiefly in small still lakes. It abounds in such lakelets close to Lough Allua, near Inchigeela. P. 112, acsaḋas: I have heard “assize” so rendered in Irish. Could the saying in question refer to trial at the assizes? P. 104, Prov. 17, mualaċán is evidently for mulċán, owl.—J. L.
(55) Eaċ, a horse, is frequently feminine in modern spoken Irish. See Sept., p. 85 (9), where ar muin a eaċa should be ar ṁuin na heaċa (thus making eaċ of 3rd declension). Again, Oct., Proverbs, No. 34, súil an ṁaiġistir ḃeaṫuiġeas an eaċ. In J. H. Molloy’s Irish Grammar, p. 22, eaċ is given as of the 2nd declen-, sion, gen. eiċe, pl. nom. eaċa. Of course eaċ is properly masculine of 1st decl., gen. eiċ, and the usages given above are corrupt. Sgiaṫ, a shield, has undergone a like corruption in some modern texts; cp. Cath Ruis na Ríg, where it is masc. in the older and fem. in the later text.—J. McN.
(56) I have often heard the adverb sall in Inishmaan, Aran; ga’ sall, go over there. It is formed on ṫall, anall, by analogy with siar, ṫiar, aniar, &c. By the way, the correct spelling is ṫias, ṫoir, ṫuas, ṫíos. The words are found so spelled in older writings, often without aspiration, never with ṡ initial. Hence the Munster usage leaṫ ’s tiar = taoḃ ṫiar, &c. I have never met sall in any writing, but sell, Cath Ruis na Ríg, Glossarial Index, looks extremely like it. We had formerly sonn, answering to anonn, the third place in the triad being filled by i fus, i ḃfus, or by sonn itself.— J. M‘N.
(57) I have been taken sharply to task for crediting Aran with the corruptions given in N. and Q., No. 39. Mr. Thomas Concannon, a native of Inishmaan, writes from the city of Mexico, and my friend, Mr. David O'Callaghan, from Aranmore, protesting against my statements. However, they are true. I do not suggest that the forms given are universal or even prevalent in Inishmaan, where the people speak splendid Irish and are not ashamed of it. Buartlaċ is possibly a better form, historically, than bualtraċ: buar=kine (see Trí B.-ġ. an Bháis); laċ a common suffix, as teaġlaċ, (teg, O.I. = teaċ), teallaċ (ten-laċ, fireplace), brol- laċ = bronn-laċ, múnlaċ, connlaċ, mullaċ (muín); orlaċ from ord, ordóg, formerly ordlaċ; the t in buartlaċ may be euphonic.—J. M‘N.
