tochmarc

Old Irish

Etymology

to- +‎ com- + the stem of Proto-Celtic *ɸarsketi.

Pronunciation

  • IPA(key): /ˈtox.β̃ərk/, [ˈtoxβ̃ərk]

Noun

tochmarc n

  1. wooing, courting (romantically or for marriage)
    • c. 800–825, Diarmait, Milan Glosses on the Psalms, published in Thesaurus Palaeohibernicus (reprinted 1987, Dublin Institute for Advanced Studies), edited and with translations by Whitley Stokes and John Strachan, vol. I, pp. 7–483, Ml. 127d3
      .i. mug luide húa Abracham do thochmurc Rebicae do Ísác
      i.e. the servant of Abraham who went to woo Rebecca for Isaac

Usage notes

As a quasi-verbal noun, genitive modifiers always refer to whoever was wooed or courted. For example, Tochmarc Emire ("the Wooing of Emer") refers to Emer being courted by Cú Chulainn, not Emer courting Cú Chulainn herself.

Inflection

Neuter o-stem
singular dual plural
nominative tochmarcN tochmarcN tochmarcL, tochmarca
vocative tochmarcN tochmarcN tochmarcL, tochmarca
accusative tochmarcN tochmarcN tochmarcL, tochmarca
genitive tochmaircL tochmarc tochmarcN
dative tochmurcL tochmarcaib tochmarcaib
Initial mutations of a following adjective:
  • H = triggers aspiration
  • L = triggers lenition
  • N = triggers nasalization

Descendants

  • Irish: tochmharc (story of courtship)

Mutation

Mutation of tochmarc
radical lenition nasalization
tochmarc thochmarc tochmarc
pronounced with /d-/

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

Further reading