# eala
## Irish
### Etymology

From Middle Irish ela, elae, from Old Irish elu, from Proto-Celtic *eli- (“swan”), from Proto-Indo-European *h₁el- (“swan”). Cognates within Celtic include Breton alarc’h, Cornish alargh, Welsh alarch, and outside Celtic Latin olor and Ancient Greek ἐλέα (eléa, “marsh bird”).

### Pronunciation

* IPA: /ˈal̪ˠə/, /ˈalˠə/

### Noun

eala f (genitive singular eala, nominative plural ealaí)
* swan
** 1899, Franz Nikolaus Finck, Die araner mundart [The Aran Dialect], volume II (overall work in German), Marburg: Elwert’sche Verlagsbuchhandlung, page 22:xøn̄ik mē ȧlə eŕ ə l̄ox.[Chonaic mé eala ar an loch.]I saw a swan on the lake.
** 1899, Franz Nikolaus Finck, Die araner mundart [The Aran Dialect], volume II (overall work in German), Marburg: Elwert’sche Verlagsbuchhandlung, page 22:əs mō šḱihān ən ȧlə n̄ā šḱihān ǵē.[Is mó sciathán an eala ná sciathán gé.]The wing of the swan is larger than the wing of a goose.
** 1899, Franz Nikolaus Finck, Die araner mundart [The Aran Dialect], volume II (overall work in German), Marburg: Elwert’sche Verlagsbuchhandlung, page 22:xuə šȧxt n-ȧlə harm̥ sn̥ ēr əńú.[Chuaigh seacht n-eala tharam san aer inniu.]Seven swans went past me in the air today.

#### Declension

bare forms
case
singular
plural
nominative
eala
ealaí
vocative
a eala
a ealaí
genitive
eala
ealaí
dative
eala
ealaí
forms with the definite article
case
singular
plural
nominative
an eala
na healaí
genitive
na heala
na n-ealaí
dative
leis an eala don eala
leis na healaí :
* Archaic dative singular: ealainn

### 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), “1 ela”, in eDIL: Electronic Dictionary of the Irish Language
* ↑ Matasović, Ranko (2009) “*elV-”, in Etymological Dictionary of Proto-Celtic (Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series; 9), Leiden: Brill, →ISBN, pages 114–15
* ↑ Sjoestedt, M. L. (1931) Phonétique d’un parler irlandais de Kerry [Phonetics of an Irish Dialect of Kerry] (in French), Paris: Librairie Ernest Leroux, page 75
* ↑ Quiggin, E. C. (1906) A Dialect of Donegal, Cambridge University Press, page 81

### Further reading

* Dinneen, Patrick S. (1904) “eala”, in Foclóir Gaeḋilge agus Béarla, 1st edition, Dublin: Irish Texts Society, page 276
* Ó Dónaill, Niall (1977) “eala”, in Foclóir Gaeilge–Béarla, Dublin: An Gúm, →ISBN

## Old English
### Alternative forms

* ēlā, ēawlā, ǣlā, ǣalā, hēlā, hiġla, ēale

### Etymology

Perhaps from a compound whose elements answer to ēa (“oh!, ah!”) +‎ lā (“lo”). Compare Old Frisian ēala (“hail!, hello!”).

### Pronunciation

* IPA: /ˈæ͜ɑːˌlɑː/

### Interjection

ēalā
* oh; hey
    Ēalā frēond, hwȳ eart þū swā sċēoh?Oh friend, why are you so shy?
** late 9th century, translation of Bede's Ecclesiastical History
    Ēalā brōðor Eċġberht, ēalā, hwæt dydest þū?Oh brother Egbert, oh, what have you done?

### Conjunction

ēalā
* if only
** c. 897, King Alfred's translation of Pope Gregory's Pastoral Care
    Ēalā wǣre hē āwðer oþþe hāt oþþe ċeald.If only he was either hot or cold.

#### Derived terms

* ēalā ġif

#### Descendants

* Middle English: halloo, halow
** English: hallo, hello

## Old Frisian
### Interjection

ēala
* hail!
    Eala, frya Fresena!Hail, free Frisians!

## Scottish Gaelic
### Etymology

From Middle Irish ela, elae, from Old Irish elu, from Proto-Celtic *eli- (“swan”), from Proto-Indo-European *h₁el- (“swan”).

### Pronunciation

* (Lewis) IPA: /ˈjɑl̪ˠə/, [ˈæ̯ɑl̪ˠə]
* (North Uist) IPA: /ˈɛl̪ˠə/
* (South Uist, Skye) IPA: /ˈɛ̯al̪ˠə/, /ˈe̯al̪ˠə/
* (Barra) IPA: [ˈe̯æl̪ˠʌ]

### Noun

eala f (genitive singular ealaidh, plural ealachan)
* swan

### Mutation

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

### References

* ↑ Oftedal, M. (1956) A linguistic survey of the Gaelic dialects of Scotland, Vol. III: The Gaelic of Leurbost, Isle of Lewis, Oslo: Norsk Tidsskrift for Sprogvidenskap
* ↑ John MacPherson (1945) The Gaelic dialect of North Uist (Thesis)‎, Edinburgh: University of Edinburgh
* ↑ Mac Gill-Fhinnein, Gordon (1966) Gàidhlig Uidhist a Deas, Dublin: Institiúid Ard-Léinn Bhaile Átha Cliath
* ↑ Borgstrøm, Carl Hj. (1941) A linguistic survey of the Gaelic dialects of Scotland, Vol. II: The dialects of Skye and Ross-shire, Oslo: Norsk Tidsskrift for Sprogvidenskap
* ↑ Borgstrøm, Carl Hj. (1937) The dialect of Barra in the Outer Hebrides, Oslo: Norsk Tidsskrift for Sprogvidenskap