meath

See also: Meath and meath-

Irish

Etymology 1

From Old Irish methaid (“degenerates, declines, fails, is blighted; fails, comes short; blights, causes to decay; enfeebles, intimidates”).

Verb

meath (present analytic meathann, future analytic meathfaidh, verbal noun meath, past participle meata)

  1. (intransitive) decline, decay, fail, deteriorate
  2. (transitive) waste, fritter away
Conjugation
First Conjugation (A)
singular plural relative autonomous
first second third first second third
indicative present meathaim meathann tú;
meathair†		 meathann sé, sí meathaimid meathann sibh meathann siad;
meathaid†		 a mheathann; a mheathas /
a meathann*; a meathas*		 meatar
past mheath mé; mheathas mheath tú; mheathais mheath sé, sí mheathamar; mheath muid mheath sibh; mheathabhair mheath siad; mheathadar a mheath /
ar mheath*		 meathadh
past habitual mheathainn mheatá mheathadh sé, sí mheathaimis; mheathadh muid mheathadh sibh mheathaidís; mheathadh siad a mheathadh /
ar mheathadh*		 mheataí
future meathfaidh mé;
meathfad		 meathfaidh tú;
meathfair†		 meathfaidh sé, sí meathfaimid;
meathfaidh muid		 meathfaidh sibh meathfaidh siad;
meathfaid†		 a mheathfaidh; a mheathfas /
a meathfaidh*; a meathfas*		 meathfar
conditional mheathfainn / meathfainn‡‡ mheathfá / meathfᇇ mheathfadh sé, sí / meathfadh sé, s퇇 mheathfaimis; mheathfadh muid / meathfaimis‡‡; meathfadh muid‡‡ mheathfadh sibh / meathfadh sibh‡‡ mheathfaidís; mheathfadh siad / meathfaidís‡‡; meathfadh siad‡‡ a mheathfadh /
ar mheathfadh*		 mheathfaí / meathfa퇇
subjunctive present go meatha mé;
go meathad†		 go meatha tú;
go meathair†		 go meatha sé, sí go meathaimid;
go meatha muid		 go meatha sibh go meatha siad;
go meathaid†		 — go meatar
past dá meathainn dá meatá dá meathadh sé, sí dá meathaimis;
dá meathadh muid		 dá meathadh sibh dá meathaidís;
dá meathadh siad		 — dá meataí
imperative meathaim meath meathadh sé, sí meathaimis meathaigí;
meathaidh†		 meathaidís — meatar
verbal noun meath
past participle meata

* Indirect relative
† Archaic or dialect form
‡‡ Dependent form used with particles that trigger eclipsis

Etymology 2

From Old Irish meth (“decay, blight, wasting, failure; (moral) feebleness, degeneracy; failure (to fulfil an obligation)”).

Noun

meath m (genitive singular meatha)

  1. verbal noun of meath
  2. decline, decay, decadence; failure
Declension
Declension of meath

Third declension

Bare forms (no plural of this noun)

Case Singular
Nominative meath
Vocative a mheath
Genitive meatha
Dative meath

Forms with the definite article:

Case Singular
Nominative an meath
Genitive an mheatha
Dative leis an meath

don mheath

Synonyms
Derived terms
  • aghaidh mheata (“pale, thin, face”)
  • croí meata (“faint, craven, heart”)
  • gníomh meata (“cowardly, dastardly, deed”)
  • meath na seanaoise (“senile decay”)
  • meath uirbeach (“urban blight”)

Etymology 3

Noun

meath m (genitive singular meath)

  1. Alternative form of meá (“balance, scales; weight, measure; equivalent; equal, match; estimation, judgment; measure, expedient”)
Declension
Declension of meath

Fourth declension

Bare forms (no plural of this noun)

Case Singular
Nominative meath
Vocative a mheath
Genitive meath
Dative meath

Forms with the definite article

Case Singular
Nominative an meath
Genitive an mheath
Dative leis an meath

don mheath

Mutation
Irish mutation
Radical Lenition Eclipsis
meath mheath not applicable
Note: Some of these forms may be hypothetical. Not every possible mutated form of every word actually occurs.

References
  • "meath" in Foclóir Gaeilge-Béarla, An Gúm, 1977, by Niall Ó Dónaill.
  • “methaid” in Dictionary of the Irish Language, Royal Irish Academy, 1913–76.
  • “meth” in Dictionary of the Irish Language, Royal Irish Academy, 1913–76.
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