# caol
## Irish
### Etymology

From Middle Irish cáel, from Old Irish coíl, from Proto-Celtic *koilos (“thin”) (compare Cornish and Welsh cul).

### Pronunciation

* (Munster) IPA: /keːl̪ˠ/, [këːə̯l̪ˠ]
* (Connacht) IPA: /kiːlˠ/, /kiːl̪ˠ/
* (Ulster) IPA: /kiːlˠ/, /kiːl̪ˠ/; (older) /kɯːlˠ/

### Adjective

caol (genitive singular masculine caoil, genitive singular feminine caoile, plural caola, comparative caoile)
* thin, slender
    Synonym: tanaí
* fine
* narrow
    Synonym: cúng
* (sound) thin, shrill
* (linguistics) slender, palatalized
    Caol le caol agus leathan le leathan. (rule in Irish spelling)Slender (consonant) goes with slender (vowel) and broad (consonant) with broad (vowel).
* weak, dilute
* slight
* subtle

#### Declension

$^1$ When the preceding noun is lenited and governed by the definite article. $^2$ When the preceding noun ends in a slender consonant.

#### Antonyms

* leathan

#### Derived terms

* barrchaol
* caoile
* caol na coise
* caolaigh
* caolán
* caolas
* caolchuid
* caolsráid

### Noun

caol m (genitive singular caoil, nominative plural caolta)
* slender part (of body, limb)
* narrow water, strait
* (basketry) osier, twig

#### Declension

bare forms
case
singular
plural
nominative
caol
caolta
vocative
a chaoil
a chaola
genitive
caoil
caol
dative
caol
caolta
forms with the definite article
case
singular
plural
nominative
an caol
na caolta
genitive
an chaoil
na gcaol
dative
leis an gcaol don chaol
leis na caolta :

#### Derived terms

* caológ (“small channel”)
* cuir caol ort féin (“sharpen yourself; make yourself scarce”, verb)

### Verb

caol (present analytic caolann, future analytic caolfaidh, verbal noun caoladh, past participle caolta)
* Alternative form of caolaigh (“become thin”)

#### Conjugation

| | | singular | singular | singular | plural | plural | plural | relative | autonomous |
| | | first | second | third | first | second | third | relative | autonomous |
| indicative | present | caolaim | caolann tú; caolair$^†$ | caolann sé, sí | caolaimid | caolann sibh | caolann siad; caolaid$^†$ | a chaolann; a chaolas / a gcaolann* | caoltar |
| indicative | past | chaol mé; chaolas | chaol tú; chaolais | chaol sé, sí | chaolamar; chaol muid | chaol sibh; chaolabhair | chaol siad; chaoladar | a chaol / ar chaol* | caoladh |
| indicative | past habitual | chaolainn / gcaolainn‡‡ | chaoltá / gcaoltá‡‡ | chaoladh sé, sí / gcaoladh sé, sí‡‡ | chaolaimis; chaoladh muid / gcaolaimis‡‡; gcaoladh muid‡‡ | chaoladh sibh / gcaoladh sibh‡‡ | chaolaidís; chaoladh siad / gcaolaidís‡‡; gcaoladh siad‡‡ | a chaoladh / a gcaoladh* | chaoltaí / gcaoltaí‡‡ |
| future | future | caolfaidh mé; caolfad | caolfaidh tú; caolfair$^†$ | caolfaidh sé, sí | caolfaimid; caolfaidh muid | caolfaidh sibh | caolfaidh siad; caolfaid$^†$ | a chaolfaidh; a chaolfas / a gcaolfaidh* | caolfar |
| conditional | conditional | chaolfainn / gcaolfainn‡‡ | chaolfá / gcaolfá‡‡ | chaolfadh sé, sí / gcaolfadh sé, sí‡‡ | chaolfaimis; chaolfadh muid / gcaolfaimis‡‡; gcaolfadh muid‡‡ | chaolfadh sibh / gcaolfadh sibh‡‡ | chaolfaidís; chaolfadh siad / gcaolfaidís‡‡; gcaolfadh siad‡‡ | a chaolfadh / a gcaolfadh* | chaolfaí / gcaolfaí‡‡ |
| subjunctive | present | go gcaola mé; go gcaolad$^†$ | go gcaola tú; go gcaolair$^†$ | go gcaola sé, sí | go gcaolaimid; go gcaola muid | go gcaola sibh | go gcaola siad; go gcaolaid$^†$ | — | go gcaoltar |
| subjunctive | past | dá gcaolainn | dá gcaoltá | dá gcaoladh sé, sí | dá gcaolaimis; dá gcaoladh muid | dá gcaoladh sibh | dá gcaolaidís; dá gcaoladh siad | — | dá gcaoltaí |
| imperative | imperative | caolaim | caol | caoladh sé, sí | caolaimis | caolaigí; caolaidh$^†$ | caolaidís | — | caoltar |
| verbal noun | verbal noun | caoladh | caoladh | caoladh | caoladh | caoladh | caoladh | caoladh | caoladh |
| past participle | past participle | caolta | caolta | caolta | caolta | caolta | caolta | caolta | caolta |
* indirect relative † archaic or dialect form ‡‡ dependent form used with particles that trigger eclipsis

### 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), “cáel”, in eDIL: Electronic Dictionary of the Irish Language
* ↑ Sjoestedt, M. L. (1931) Phonétique d’un parler irlandais de Kerry [Phonetics of an Irish Dialect of Kerry] (in French), Paris: Librairie Ernest Leroux, § 138, page 71

### Further reading

* Ó Dónaill, Niall (1977) “caol”, in Foclóir Gaeilge–Béarla, Dublin: An Gúm, →ISBN
* Dinneen, Patrick S. (1904) “caol”, in Foclóir Gaeḋilge agus Béarla, 1st edition, Dublin: Irish Texts Society, page 115
* de Bhaldraithe, Tomás (1959) “caol”, in English-Irish Dictionary, An Gúm
* “caol”, in New English-Irish Dictionary, Foras na Gaeilge, 2013-2025

## Scottish Gaelic
### Etymology

From Middle Irish cáel, from Old Irish coíl, from Proto-Celtic *koilos (“thin”) (compare Cornish and Welsh cul).

### Pronunciation

* IPA: /kʰɯːɫ̪/

### Adjective

caol
* thin, narrow

#### Antonyms

* leathann

#### Derived terms

* caoile
* caol-shràid
* ceàrn caol

### Noun

caol m (genitive singular caoil, plural caoiltean)
* strait, narrows, firth, kyle
* the narrow part of anything

#### Derived terms

* caol-dùirn

#### Descendants

* → English: kyle

### Mutation

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

### References

* Edward Dwelly (1911) “caol”, in Faclair Gàidhlig gu Beurla le Dealbhan [The Illustrated Gaelic–English Dictionary]‎, 10th edition, Edinburgh: Birlinn Limited, →ISBN