# cuach
## Irish
### Pronunciation

* IPA: /kuəx/

### Etymology 1

From Old Irish caí, cúach (“cuckoo”), caí (“act of weeping; wailing, lamentation”).

#### Noun

cuach f (genitive singular cuaiche, nominative plural cuacha)
* cuckoo
* (music, ~ (cheoil)) strain of music; snatch of song
* alto, falsetto (voice); whoop; (of horse) whinny; whine; sigh, sob

##### Declension

bare forms
case
singular
plural
nominative
cuach
cuacha
vocative
a chuach
a chuacha
genitive
cuaiche
cuach
dative
cuach cuaich (archaic, dialectal)
cuacha
forms with the definite article
case
singular
plural
nominative
an chuach
na cuacha
genitive
na cuaiche
na gcuach
dative
leis an gcuach leis an gcuaich (archaic, dialectal) don chuach don chuaich (archaic, dialectal)
leis na cuacha :

##### Derived terms

* banaltra na cuaiche (“meadow pipit”)
* clog cuaiche (“cuckoo clock”)
* coimhdire na cuaiche (“meadow pipit”)
* gobadán na cuaiche (“pipit”)
* smugairle cuaiche (“toad-spit”)

### Etymology 2

From Middle Irish cúach, from Old Irish cuäch (“goblet”), from Proto-Celtic *kaɸukos (“cup”) (compare Welsh cawg (“cup, goblet, bowl”)), from Proto-Indo-European *kap- (“to seize, hold”).

#### Noun

cuach m (genitive singular cuach, nominative plural cuacha)
* bowl; goblet, drinking-cup
* dome (of head)

##### Declension

bare forms
case
singular
plural
nominative
cuach
cuacha
vocative
a chuach
a chuacha
genitive
cuach
cuach
dative
cuach
cuacha
forms with the definite article
case
singular
plural
nominative
an cuach
na cuacha
genitive
an chuach
na gcuach
dative
leis an gcuach don chuach
leis na cuacha :

##### Derived terms

* cuach abhlann (“ciborium”)
* cuach altóra (“ciborium”)
* cuach coirn (“auger-shell”)
* cuach Phádraig (“plantain”)

### Etymology 3

From Old Irish cúach (“fastener; lock of hair”), from the root of sense 2.

#### Noun

cuach f (genitive singular cuaiche, nominative plural cuacha)
* ball, bundle (of clothes, etc.)
* bowknot (of ribbons, etc.)
* roll; tress, curl (of hair)
* tuft, "latch" (of thatch)
* hug, embrace
* term of endearment
    Mo chuach thú! ― Love you!

##### Declension

bare forms
case
singular
plural
nominative
cuach
cuacha
vocative
a chuach
a chuacha
genitive
cuaiche
cuach
dative
cuach cuaich (archaic, dialectal)
cuacha
forms with the definite article
case
singular
plural
nominative
an chuach
na cuacha
genitive
na cuaiche
na gcuach
dative
leis an gcuach leis an gcuaich (archaic, dialectal) don chuach don chuaich (archaic, dialectal)
leis na cuacha :

##### Derived terms

* cuachmhargadh (“package deal”)

#### Verb

cuach (present analytic cuachann, future analytic cuachfaidh, verbal noun cuachadh, past participle cuachta) (transitive)
* bundle; roll, wrap
* hug; squeeze
* flatter, praise

##### Conjugation

| verbal noun | cuachadh | cuachadh | cuachadh | cuachadh | cuachadh | cuachadh | cuachadh | cuachadh |
| past participle | cuachta | cuachta | cuachta | cuachta | cuachta | cuachta | cuachta | cuachta |
| tense | singular | singular | singular | plural | plural | plural | relative | autonomous |
| tense | first | second | third | first | second | third | relative | autonomous |
| indicative |||||||||
| present | cuachaim | cuachann tú; cuachair$^†$ | cuachann sé, sí | cuachaimid | cuachann sibh | cuachann siad; cuachaid$^†$ | a chuachann; a chuachas / a gcuachann* | cuachtar |
| past | chuach mé; chuachas | chuach tú; chuachais | chuach sé, sí | chuachamar; chuach muid | chuach sibh; chuachabhair | chuach siad; chuachadar | a chuach / ar chuach* | cuachadh |
| past habitual | chuachainn / gcuachainn‡‡ | chuachtá / gcuachtá‡‡ | chuachadh sé, sí / gcuachadh sé, sí‡‡ | chuachaimis; chuachadh muid / gcuachaimis‡‡; gcuachadh muid‡‡ | chuachadh sibh / gcuachadh sibh‡‡ | chuachaidís; chuachadh siad / gcuachaidís‡‡; gcuachadh siad‡‡ | a chuachadh / a gcuachadh* | chuachtaí / gcuachtaí‡‡ |
| future | cuachfaidh mé; cuachfad | cuachfaidh tú; cuachfair$^†$ | cuachfaidh sé, sí | cuachfaimid; cuachfaidh muid | cuachfaidh sibh | cuachfaidh siad; cuachfaid$^†$ | a chuachfaidh; a chuachfas / a gcuachfaidh* | cuachfar |
| conditional | chuachfainn / gcuachfainn‡‡ | chuachfá / gcuachfá‡‡ | chuachfadh sé, sí / gcuachfadh sé, sí‡‡ | chuachfaimis; chuachfadh muid / gcuachfaimis‡‡; gcuachfadh muid‡‡ | chuachfadh sibh / gcuachfadh sibh‡‡ | chuachfaidís; chuachfadh siad / gcuachfaidís‡‡; gcuachfadh siad‡‡ | a chuachfadh / a gcuachfadh* | chuachfaí / gcuachfaí‡‡ |
| subjunctive |||||||||
| present | go gcuacha mé; go gcuachad$^†$ | go gcuacha tú; go gcuachair$^†$ | go gcuacha sé, sí | go gcuachaimid; go gcuacha muid | go gcuacha sibh | go gcuacha siad; go gcuachaid$^†$ | — | go gcuachtar |
| past | dá gcuachainn | dá gcuachtá | dá gcuachadh sé, sí | dá gcuachaimis; dá gcuachadh muid | dá gcuachadh sibh | dá gcuachaidís; dá gcuachadh siad | — | dá gcuachtaí |
| imperative |||||||||
| – | cuachaim | cuach | cuachadh sé, sí | cuachaimis | cuachaigí; cuachaidh$^†$ | cuachaidís | — | cuachtar |
* indirect relative † archaic or dialect form ‡‡ dependent form used with particles that trigger eclipsis

### Etymology 4
#### Noun

cuach m (genitive singular cuaigh, nominative plural cuaigh)
* Alternative form of cuaifeach

##### Declension

bare forms
case
singular
plural
nominative
cuach
cuaigh
vocative
a chuaigh
a chuacha
genitive
cuaigh
cuach
dative
cuach
cuaigh
forms with the definite article
case
singular
plural
nominative
an cuach
na cuaigh
genitive
an chuaigh
na gcuach
dative
leis an gcuach don chuach
leis na cuaigh :

### Mutation

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

### References

* ↑ Quiggin, E. C. (1906) A Dialect of Donegal, Cambridge University Press, § 151, page 59
* ↑ Gregory Toner, Sharon Arbuthnot, Máire Ní Mhaonaigh, Marie-Luise Theuerkauf, Dagmar Wodtko, editors (2019), “2 caí”, in eDIL: Electronic Dictionary of the Irish Language
* ↑ Gregory Toner, Sharon Arbuthnot, Máire Ní Mhaonaigh, Marie-Luise Theuerkauf, Dagmar Wodtko, editors (2019), “cuäch”, in eDIL: Electronic Dictionary of the Irish Language
* ↑ Gregory Toner, Sharon Arbuthnot, Máire Ní Mhaonaigh, Marie-Luise Theuerkauf, Dagmar Wodtko, editors (2019), “1 cúach”, in eDIL: Electronic Dictionary of the Irish Language

### Further reading

* Ó Dónaill, Niall (1977) “cuach”, in Foclóir Gaeilge–Béarla, Dublin: An Gúm, →ISBN
* de Bhaldraithe, Tomás (1959) “cuach”, in English-Irish Dictionary, An Gúm
* “cuach”, in New English-Irish Dictionary, Foras na Gaeilge, 2013-2025

## Old Irish
### Etymology 1

From Proto-Celtic *kaɸukos (“cup”) (compare Welsh cawg (“cup, goblet, bowl”)), from Proto-Indo-European *kap- (“to seize, hold”).

#### Pronunciation

* IPA: [ku.ax]

#### Noun

cuäch m (genitive cuäich)
* bowl, goblet, drinking-cup

##### Declension

* $^H$ = triggers aspiration
* $^L$ = triggers lenition
* $^N$ = triggers nasalization

##### Descendants

* Middle Irish: cúach
** Irish: cuach
** Scottish Gaelic: cuach
*** → Scots: quaich
**** → English: quaich

### Etymology 2
#### Noun

cuach f
* Alternative spelling of cúach

### Mutation

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

### Further reading

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

## Scottish Gaelic
### Pronunciation

* IPA: /kʰuəx/

### Etymology 1

From Middle Irish cúach, from Old Irish cuäch (“cup, goblet, bowl”), from Proto-Celtic *kaɸukos (“cup”), from Proto-Indo-European *kap- (“to seize, hold”).

#### Noun

cuach f (genitive singular cuaich, plural cuachan)
* bowl
    Synonym: bobhla
* goblet, quaich

##### Descendants

* → Scots: quaich
** → English: quaich

### Etymology 2

From Old Irish cúach (“fastener, hook, buckle for cloak, hair, etc.; lock of hair, tress; hair”), from the root of sense 1.

#### Noun

cuach f (genitive singular cuaich, plural cuachan)
* curl, ringlet

### Etymology 3

From Old Irish caí, cúach (“cuckoo”), caí (“act of weeping; wailing, lamentation”).

#### Noun

cuach f (genitive singular cuaich, plural cuachan)
* cuckoo
    Synonym: cuthag

### 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

* Gregory Toner, Sharon Arbuthnot, Máire Ní Mhaonaigh, Marie-Luise Theuerkauf, Dagmar Wodtko, editors (2019), “cuäch”, in eDIL: Electronic Dictionary of the Irish Language
* Gregory Toner, Sharon Arbuthnot, Máire Ní Mhaonaigh, Marie-Luise Theuerkauf, Dagmar Wodtko, editors (2019), “2 cúach”, in eDIL: Electronic Dictionary of the Irish Language
* Gregory Toner, Sharon Arbuthnot, Máire Ní Mhaonaigh, Marie-Luise Theuerkauf, Dagmar Wodtko, editors (2019), “2 caí”, in eDIL: Electronic Dictionary of the Irish Language
* Gregory Toner, Sharon Arbuthnot, Máire Ní Mhaonaigh, Marie-Luise Theuerkauf, Dagmar Wodtko, editors (2019), “1 cúach”, in eDIL: Electronic Dictionary of the Irish Language