# cailleach
## English
### Alternative forms

* caillach, cailliach

### Etymology

From Scots, from Scottish Gaelic cailleach.

### Noun

cailleach (plural cailleachs)
* (Scotland) An old woman.

## Irish
### Etymology

From Old Irish caillech (“nun, elderly woman”), from caille (“veil”) (+ -ech), from Latin pallium. Cognate with Manx caillagh.

### Pronunciation

* (Munster) IPA: /kəˈlʲax/
* (Connacht) IPA: /ˈkal̠ʲəx/
* (Ulster) IPA: /ˈkæl̠ʲa(x)/

### Noun

cailleach f (genitive singular caillí, nominative plural cailleacha)
* (historical) nun
    Synonyms: cailleach dhubh, cailleach Mhuire
* old woman, hag
* witch
** 2015 [2014], Will Collins, translated by Proinsias Mac a' Bhaird, edited by Maura McHugh, Amhrán na Mara (fiction; paperback), Kilkenny, County Kilkenny, Howth, Dublin: Cartoon Saloon; Coiscéim, translation of Song of the Sea (in English), →ISBN, page 7:Macha, Cailleach na nUlchabhán[original: Macha the Owl Witch]
* (informal, usually derogatory) old dear, old girl
* (informal, offensive, derogatory) old bag, bitch, cow, dog, shrew
* stone weight, stone boat anchor
* alcove; (familiar) snuggery
    Synonym: cailleach shúgáin

#### Declension

bare forms
singular
plural
nominative
cailleach
cailleacha
vocative
a chailleach
a chailleacha
genitive
caillí
cailleach
dative
cailleach cailligh (archaic, dialectal)
cailleacha
forms with the definite article
singular
plural
nominative
an chailleach
na cailleacha
genitive
na caillí
na gcailleach
dative
leis an gcailleach leis an gcailligh (archaic, dialectal) don chailleach don chailligh (archaic, dialectal)
leis na cailleacha :

#### Derived terms

* beacán na caillí m (“lady in the veil (type of mushroom)”)
* cailleach an ghiodail f (“pert hussy”)
* cailleach an uafáis f (“alarmist; scaremonger”)
* cailleach bhasctha f (“protruding object in ground”)
* cailleach bheag f (“bee orchid”)
* cailleach bhreac f (“larger spotted dog-fish”)
* cailleach bhréagach f (“spotted orchid”)
* cailleach chneasta f (“white witch”)
* cailleach chrainn f (“wood-louse”)
* cailleach dharach f (“oak stump”)
* cailleach dhearg f (“corn poppy”)
* cailleach dhubh f (“nun; cormorant”)
* cailleach feasa f (“sorceress, witch”)
* cailleach fhada f (“long-headed poppy”)
* cailleach fhuar f (“early purple orchid”)
* cailleach gheamaireachta f (“pantomime dame”)
* cailleach ghiúise f (“pine stump”)
* cailleach ghoile f (“tapeworm”)
* cailleach Mhuire f (“nun”)
* cailleach na gcearc f (“hag, witch”)
* cailleach na luatha f (“cricket”)
* cailleach na luatha buí f (“cinderella”)
* cailleach na mbréag f (“lying hussy”)
* cailleach oíche f (“owl; death watch beetle”)
* cailleach phiseogach f (“sorceress”)
* cailleach rua f (“loach”)
* cailleachas m (“haggishness”)
* cailleachúil (“haggish”, adj)
* codladh na Caillí Béarra m (“protracted sleep”)
* comhrá cailleach m (“old wives’ tales”)
* feoil na caillí f (“polyporus”)
* fia-chailleach f (“hag, witch”)
* galar scuab na caillí m (“witch's broom”)
* gas caillí Artach m (“northern rock-cress”)
* gas caillí duimhche m (“fringed rock-cress”)
* gas caillí giobach m (“hairy rock-cress”)
* hata caillí m (“witch's hat”)
* leigheas caillí m (“old woman's remedy”)
* méara na caillí f (“mermaid's glove”)
* peata caillí m (“pampered child”, literally “an old woman’s pet”)
* ruacán caillí m (“crone”)
* samhairle caillí m (“disagreeable hag”)
* scuab caillí f (“witch's broomstick”)
* seanchailleach f (“witch, hag”)
* smior chailleach f (“spinal marrow”)
* snaidhm chaillí f (“granny knot”)
* sparán na caillí mairbhe m (“egg-case of skate”)

### 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), “caillech”, 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, § 261, page 133
* ↑ Finck, F. N. (1899) Die araner mundart [The Aran Dialect] (in German), volume II, Marburg: Elwert’sche Verlagsbuchhandlung, page 151
* ↑ Quiggin, E. C. (1906) A Dialect of Donegal, Cambridge University Press, § 223, page 83

### Further reading

* Ó Dónaill, Niall (1977) “cailleach”, in Foclóir Gaeilge–Béarla, Dublin: An Gúm, →ISBN
* de Bhaldraithe, Tomás (1959) “cailleach”, in English-Irish Dictionary, An Gúm
* “cailleach”, in New English-Irish Dictionary, Foras na Gaeilge, 2013-2025
* “cailleach”, in The National Terminology Database for Irish, Fiontar & Scoil na Gaeilge, DCU and Foras na Gaeilge, 2006–2025

## Scots
### Etymology

Borrowed from Scottish Gaelic cailleach, from Old Irish caillech, from caille (“veil”) + -ach.

### Pronunciation

* IPA: [ˈkeljʌx], [ˈkalʌx], [ˈkaljʌx]

### Noun

cailleach (plural cailleachs)
* old woman, crone
    Synonym: auld wife

#### Descendants

* → English: cailleach, Cailleach

### References

* MacBain, Alexander, Mackay, Eneas (1911) “cailleach”, in An Etymological Dictionary of the Gaelic Language‎, Stirling, →ISBN

## Scottish Gaelic
### Etymology

From Old Irish caillech, from caille (“veil”) + -ach. Cognate with Manx caillagh.

### Pronunciation

* IPA: /ˈkʰaʎəx/

### Noun

cailleach f (genitive singular cailliche, plural cailleachan)
* old woman, old wife
** (can be derogatory) old dear, biddy
** hag, crone
* woman, wife
* cowl (on a chimney)

#### Derived terms

* Cailleach f (“the week in spring after “Gearran”, i.e. from 12th to 18th April”)
* cailleach bheag an earbaill f (“long-tailed tit”)
* cailleach-baic f (“in cutting peats, the outside peat in a bank”)
* cailleach-bhàn f (“snowy owl”)
* cailleach-chasach f (“slater, woodlouse; millipede”)
* cailleach-cheann-dubh f (“cole titmouse, cole; black cap”)
* cailleach-chòsag f (“slater, woodlouse”)
* cailleach-dhubh f (“nun; European shag, common shag”)
* cailleach-fhasgnaidh f (“corn fanner”)
* cailleach-fhraoich f (“a large sheaf of heather tied tightly together with ropes of the same material, used as a door to a sheep cot or similar building”)
* cailleach-oidhche f (“common owl; tawny owl; spiritless fellow; butterfly”)
* cailleach-oidhche gheal, cailleach-bhàn f (“white owl”)
* cailleach-oidhche-mhòr f (“eagle owl”)
* cailleach-spuinge f (“touchwood, soft tinder”)
* cailleach-uisge f (“water-woman, water-carlin; diseased potato containing only water”)
* cìochan nan cailleach marbha m (“foxglove”)

#### Descendants

* → Scots: cailleach
** → English: cailleach, Cailleach

### See also

* bodach

### Mutation

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

### References

* MacBain, Alexander, Mackay, Eneas (1911) “cailleach”, in An Etymological Dictionary of the Gaelic Language‎, Stirling, →ISBN