aimser

Middle Irish

Etymology

From Old Irish aimser, from Proto-Celtic *amsterā (“time, moment”) (compare Middle Welsh amser), possibly ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *h₂mh₁-eh₂, from the root *h₂meh₁- (“to mow, reap, harvest”). Stifter suggests derivation from Proto-Celtic *ammansterā or *ammanstero, related to Old Irish amm (“time”), derived from Proto-Indo-European *h₂etmn̥ (“wandering”), from the root *h₂et- (“to go”), thus cognate with Latin annus (“year”) and Gothic *𐌰𐌸𐌽 (*aþn) or *𐌰𐌸𐌽𐍃 (*aþns, “year”) (attested in 𐌰𐍄𐌰𐌸𐌽𐌹 (ataþni, “year”)).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈamʲɕəɾ/

Noun

aimser f (genitive aimsire, nominative plural aimsera)

1. time
   • c. 1000, anonymous author, edited by Rudolf Thurneysen, Scéla Mucca Meic Dathó, Dublin: Stationery Office, published 1935, § 1, page 1, line 8:

     Is ⟨s⟩í sin in chōiced bruden ro·boī i nHērinn isind aimsir sin, ocus bruden Da-Derg i crích Cūalann ocus bruden Ḟorgaill Manaich ocus bruden Me[i]c Da-Rēo i mBrēfni ocus bruden Da-Choca i n‑īarthur Midi.

     That is one of the five halls that were (lit. “That is the fifth hall that was”) in Ireland at that time, [the others being] also the hall of Da-Derg in the territory of Cúalu, and the hall of Forgall Manach, and the hall of Mac Dareo in Bréifne, and the hall of Da-Choca in the west of Meath.

Inflection

• Accusative/dative singular: aimsir

Descendants

• Irish: aimsir
• Manx: emshir
• Scottish Gaelic: aimsir

Mutation

Mutation of aimser

radical	lenition	nasalization
aimser (pronounced with /h/ in h-prothesis environments)	unchanged	n-aimser

Note: Certain mutated forms of some words can never occur in Middle 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), “aimser”, in eDIL: Electronic Dictionary of the Irish Language

Old Irish

Etymology

From Proto-Celtic *amsterā (“time, moment”) (compare Middle Welsh amser), possibly ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *h₂mh₁-eh₂, from the root *h₂meh₁- (“to mow, reap, harvest”). Stifter suggests derivation from Proto-Celtic *ammansterā or *ammansteros, related to amm (“time”), derived from Proto-Indo-European *h₂etmn̥ (“wandering”), from the root *h₂et- (“to go”), thus cognate with Latin annus (“year”) and Gothic *𐌰𐌸𐌽 (*aþn) or *𐌰𐌸𐌽𐍃 (*aþns, “year”) (attested in 𐌰𐍄𐌰𐌸𐌽𐌹 (ataþni, “year”)).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈamʲ.sʲəɾ/
  • (McCone 1996) [ˈamʲ.sʲeɾ]
  • (Griffith 2016) [ˈamʲ.sʲəɾ]

Noun

aimser f (genitive aimsire, nominative plural aimsera)

1. point in time

   Synonyms: úar, tráth

2. period of time, season

   Synonyms: tráth, ré, síst

3. age, epoch
4. rule, reign
5. season, weather
6. (phonology) length

For quotations using this term, see Citations:aimser.

Inflection

Feminine ā-stem

	singular	dual	plural
nominative	aimserL	aimsirL	aimseraH
vocative	aimserL	aimsirL	aimseraH
accusative	aimsirN	aimsirL	aimseraH
genitive	aimsireH	aimserL	aimserN
dative	aimsirL	aimseraib	aimseraib

Initial mutations of a following adjective:

• ^H = triggers aspiration
• ^L = triggers lenition
• ^N = triggers nasalization

Derived terms

• aimseracht
• aimserad
• aimserdae

Related terms

• amm

Descendants

• Middle Irish: aimser
  • Irish: aimsir
  • Manx: emshir
  • Scottish Gaelic: aimsir

Mutation

Mutation of aimser

radical	lenition	nasalization
aimser (pronounced with /h/ in h-prothesis environments)	aimser	n-aimser

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), “aimser”, in eDIL: Electronic Dictionary of the Irish Language