# caile
## Irish
### Etymology

From Old Irish caile (“serving-girl, maid”).

### Noun

caile m or f (genitive singular caile, nominative plural cailí)
* girl, wench

#### Declension
##### Masculine

bare forms
case
singular
plural
nominative
caile
cailí
vocative
a chaile
a chailí
genitive
caile
cailí
dative
caile
cailí
forms with the definite article
case
singular
plural
nominative
an caile
na cailí
genitive
an chaile
na gcailí
dative
leis an gcaile don chaile
leis na cailí :

##### Feminine

bare forms
case
singular
plural
nominative
caile
cailí
vocative
a chaile
a chailí
genitive
caile
cailí
dative
caile
cailí
forms with the definite article
case
singular
plural
nominative
an chaile
na cailí
genitive
na caile
na gcailí
dative
leis an gcaile don chaile
leis na cailí :

#### Derived terms

* caile daibhche (“washerwoman”)
* cailín

#### Descendants

* →? English: callet

### Mutation

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

### Further reading

* Ó Dónaill, Niall (1977) “caile”, in Foclóir Gaeilge–Béarla, Dublin: An Gúm, →ISBN
* Gregory Toner, Sharon Arbuthnot, Máire Ní Mhaonaigh, Marie-Luise Theuerkauf, Dagmar Wodtko, editors (2019), “1 caile”, in eDIL: Electronic Dictionary of the Irish Language
* “caile”, in New English-Irish Dictionary, Foras na Gaeilge, 2013-2025

## Old Irish
### Etymology

Possibly related to Breton plac'h (“girl”) which cognates with Latin paelex (“concubine”), Ancient Greek παλλακή (pallakḗ, “young girl”).

### Noun

caile ? (genitive caile)
* serving-girl, maid (sometimes pejorative)
** c. 1050 Táin Bó Cúailnge, from the Book of Leinster, published in Táin Bó Cualnge from the Book of Leinster (1970, Dublin), edited and with translations by Cecile O'Rahilly, TBC-LL 1690
    ‘Cid ra mer in cali ⁊ in banaccaid?’ bar Fergus.‘What has crazed the girl and peasant-woman?’ said Fergus.

#### Inflection

Accusative form in caili attested in the Middle Irish Book of Leinster manuscript points to feminine iā-stem declension but it might be just a late spelling of in caile. Classical Gaelic grammatical tracts list it among masculine nouns and genitive an chaile in bardic poetry points to masculine gender. In Modern Irish it appears both as a masculine and a feminine noun.
The declension table below assumes the accusative in caili from The Book of Leinster is correct for Old Irish.
* $^H$ = triggers aspiration
* $^L$ = triggers lenition
* $^N$ = triggers nasalization

#### Descendants

* Middle Irish: caile
** Irish: caile
** Scottish Gaelic: caile

### Mutation

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

### References

* ↑ MacBain, Alexander, Mackay, Eneas (1911) “caile”, in An Etymological Dictionary of the Gaelic Language‎, Stirling, →ISBN, page caile
* ↑ Osborn Bergin (1916) “Irish Grammatical Tracts II (Declension, a)”, in Ériu, volume 8, Supplement, Royal Irish Academy, →DOI, →JSTOR, §2, page 39: “A mbráithri .fer. and so sís. (…) caile (acht an bainindscne indte), (…)”

### Further reading

* Gregory Toner, Sharon Arbuthnot, Máire Ní Mhaonaigh, Marie-Luise Theuerkauf, Dagmar Wodtko, editors (2019), “1 caile”, in eDIL: Electronic Dictionary of the Irish Language

## Scottish Gaelic
### Etymology 1

From Old Irish caile (“serving-girl, maid”); compare Breton plac’h (“girl”); Ancient Greek παλλακή (pallakḗ, “concubine”), Latin pellex.

#### Noun

caile f (genitive singular caile, plural cailean)
* vulgar girl, quean, hussy
* strumpet
* (Argyll, Perthshire) any young girl
* maidservant who does more or less other work than housework
    Synonym: caile-shearbhanta

##### Derived terms

* caile-bhalach (“romp, tomboy”)
* caile-circein (“shuttlecock”)
* caileag (“young girl”)
* (poetic) cailin (“maiden, young woman”)

##### Related terms

* ainnir
* gruagach
* maighdeann
* nighean
* òigh
* rìbhinn

### Etymology 2

(This etymology is missing or incomplete. Please add to it, or discuss it at the Etymology scriptorium.)

#### Noun

caile f
* capacity

### 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) “caile”, 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), “1 caile”, in eDIL: Electronic Dictionary of the Irish Language