# bealach
## English
### Etymology

From Irish bealach.

### Noun

bealach (plural bealachs)
* (Ireland) A mountain pass.
** 2018, Cameron McNeish, There's Always The Hills:These scoured-out basins form the grain of the land but excellent tracks weave their way through glens and up over the bealachs at their heads, giving good access to the summits, and what summits they are.

## Irish
### Etymology

From Middle Irish belach (“gap, pass, road, path”), perhaps from Proto-Celtic *bolko-, from Proto-Indo-European *bel- (“to dig, cut off?”), and possibly cognate with Welsh bwlch (“gap, pass”), Old Armenian պեղեմ (pełem, “to dig, hollow”), and Sanskrit बिल (bila, “hole, pit”).

### Pronunciation

* (Munster) IPA: /bʲəˈl̪ˠɑx/
* (Aran) IPA: /ˈbʲalˠəx/; /ˈbˠɑlˠəx/ (as if spelled balach)
* (Connemara, Mayo) IPA: /ˈbʲalˠəx/
* (Ulster) IPA: /ˈbʲalˠa(x)/

### Noun

bealach m (genitive singular bealaigh, nominative plural bealaí)
* way
* road
    Synonyms: bóthar, ród
* route
    Synonyms: caoi, slí
* passage, thoroughfare
* direction
* journey
* manner, method
    Synonyms: bóthar, modh
* (broadcasting) channel
    Synonym: cainéal

#### Declension

bare forms
case
singular
plural
nominative
bealach
bealaí
vocative
a bhealaigh
a bhealaí
genitive
bealaigh
bealaí
dative
bealach
bealaí
forms with the definite article
case
singular
plural
nominative
an bealach
na bealaí
genitive
an bhealaigh
na mbealaí
dative
leis an mbealach don bhealach
leis na bealaí :

#### Derived terms

* aerbhealach
* ar an mbealach céanna
* ar aon bhealach
* ar bhealach
* ar bhealach éigin
* ar chéad bealach
* ar gach uile bhealach
* as bealach
* athbhealach
* bealach aeir
* bealach aic
* bealach amach
* bealach análaithe
* bealach bus
* bealach cise
* bealach coise
* bealach cúil
* bealach éalaithe
* bealach iarainn
* bealach imdháilte
* bealach iompair
* bealach isteach
* bealach mara
* bealach mór
* Bealach na Bó Finne
* bealach oibre
* bealach stuach
* bealach trádála
* bealach trasna
* bealach uisce
* carrbhealac
* crosbhealach
* débhealach
* fobhealach
* glanbhealach
* íosbhealach
* leath bealaigh
* luasbhealach
* mórbhealach
* mótarbhealach
* rotharbhealach
* saorbhealach
* seachbhealach
* siúlbhealach
* taobh-bhealach
* tarbhealach
* tollbhealach
* trasbhealach
* uasbhealach

### Mutation

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

### References

* ↑ Gregory Toner, Sharon Arbuthnot, Máire Ní Mhaonaigh, Marie-Luise Theuerkauf, Dagmar Wodtko, editors (2019), “belach”, in eDIL: Electronic Dictionary of the Irish Language
* ↑ Petersson, Herbert (1916) “Beiträge zur armenischen Wortkunde”, in Zeitschrift für vergleichende Sprachforschung (in German), volume 47, number 3/4, pages 264–265
* ↑ Pokorny, Julius (1959) Indogermanisches etymologisches Wörterbuch [Indo-European Etymological Dictionary] (in German), volume 1, Bern, München: Francke Verlag, page 96
* ↑ Finck, F. N. (1899) Die araner mundart [The Aran Dialect] (in German), volume II, Marburg: Elwert’sche Verlagsbuchhandlung, page 37
* ↑ Quiggin, E. C. (1906) A Dialect of Donegal, Cambridge University Press, § 330, page 114

### Further reading

* Ó Dónaill, Niall (1977) “bealach”, in Foclóir Gaeilge–Béarla, Dublin: An Gúm, →ISBN
* de Bhaldraithe, Tomás (1959) “bealach”, in English-Irish Dictionary, An Gúm
* “bealach”, in New English-Irish Dictionary, Foras na Gaeilge, 2013-2025
* Dinneen, Patrick S. (1904) “bealach”, in Foclóir Gaeḋilge agus Béarla, 1st edition, Dublin: Irish Texts Society, page 59

## Scottish Gaelic
### Etymology

From Middle Irish belach (“gap, pass, road, path”).

### Pronunciation

* IPA: /ˈpjaɫ̪əx/

### Noun

bealach m (genitive singular bealaich, plural bealaichean)
* defile, passage, pass or gorge of a mountain, glen
* gap, breach (in a wall or fence)
* gateway, gate
* road

### Mutation

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) “bealach”, 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), “belach”, in eDIL: Electronic Dictionary of the Irish Language