caileag

Scottish Gaelic

Etymology

From caile (“vulgar girl, quean, hussy, strumpet, maid servant”) +‎ -ag (“diminutive”). From Old Irish caile (“maid”); compare Breton plac’h (“girl”); Ancient Greek παλλακή (pallakḗ, “concubine”), Latin pellex.

Pronunciation

IPA^(key): /ˈkʰalak/

Noun

caileag f (genitive singular caileige, plural caileagan)

A girl, a lass, and especially one who has not yet left childhood.

References

Etymological Dictionary of the Gaelic Language, Alexander MacBain, Eneas Mackay, 1911

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