aball

Old Irish

Etymology

From Proto-Celtic *aballā, from Proto-Indo-European *h₂ebl̥neh₂.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): [ˈaβal͈]

Noun

aball f (genitive abla, nominative plural abla)

1. apple tree
   • c. 845, St Gall Glosses on Priscian, published in Thesaurus Palaeohibernicus (reprinted 1975, Dublin Institute for Advanced Studies), edited and with translations by Whitley Stokes and John Strachan, vol. II, pp. 49–224, Sg. 61^b5:

     aball [translating malus]

     apple tree

Inflection

Feminine ā-stem
	Singular	Dual	Plural
Nominative	aballL	abaillL	ablaH
Vocative	aballL	abaillL	ablaH
Accusative	abaillN	abaillL	ablaH
Genitive	ablaH	aballL	aballN
Dative	abaillL	ablaib	ablaib
Initial mutations of a following adjective: H = triggers aspiration L = triggers lenition N = triggers nasalization

Related terms

• ubull

Descendants

• Irish: abhaill
• Scottish Gaelic: abhall

Mutation

Old Irish mutation
Radical	Lenition	Nasalization
aball (pronounced with /h/ in h-prothesis environments)	unchanged	n-aball
Note: Some of these forms may be hypothetical. Not every possible mutated form of every word actually occurs.

Further reading

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

Welsh

Etymology

Related to aballu (“to perish”), from Proto-Celtic *balnīti (“to die”).

Pronunciation

• (North Wales) IPA^(key): /ˈabaɬ/
• (South Wales) IPA^(key): /ˈa(ː)baɬ/
• Rhymes: -abaɬ

Adjective

aball m (plural aballau or aballoedd)

1. destruction, ruin

   Synonym: distryw

2. defect, failing

   Synonyms: diffyg, eisiau, methiant, nam, pall

Mutation

Welsh mutation
radical	soft	nasal	h-prothesis
aball	unchanged	unchanged	haball
Note: Some of these forms may be hypothetical. Not every possible mutated form of every word actually occurs.

Further reading

• R. J. Thomas, G. A. Bevan, P. J. Donovan, A. Hawke et al., editors (1950–present), “aball”, in Geiriadur Prifysgol Cymru Online (in Welsh), University of Wales Centre for Advanced Welsh & Celtic Studies