{"id":7944,"date":"2016-05-24T18:22:38","date_gmt":"2016-05-24T18:22:38","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/irish\/?p=7944"},"modified":"2020-03-05T10:50:50","modified_gmt":"2020-03-05T10:50:50","slug":"blath-bui-eile-an-caisearbhan-dandelion-in-irish","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/irish\/blath-bui-eile-an-caisearbhan-dandelion-in-irish\/","title":{"rendered":"Bl\u00e1th Bu\u00ed Eile — An Caisearbh\u00e1n (‘Dandelion’ in Irish)"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"grafaic:<\/a>

grafaic: http:\/\/www.clker.com\/clipart-12501.html; t\u00e9acs le R\u00f3isl\u00edn<\/em><\/p><\/div>\n


\n(le R\u00f3isl\u00edn)<\/strong><\/p>\n

Continuing our break from the flower-themed girls’ names (like Bl\u00e1ith\u00edn<\/strong>, Lile<\/strong>, and N\u00f3in\u00edn<\/strong>), we’ll look at another actual flower. \u00a0Why specifically a “bl\u00e1th bu\u00ed<\/strong>” at this particular time? \u00a0Well, we did n\u00f3in\u00edn\u00ed<\/strong>, which may be partly or all yellow, and then cama an ime<\/strong>, which are completely yellow (hence the “im<\/strong>” part of the name), so why not one more yellow flower?\u00a0 Especially since this one seems to grow under almost any conditions, i Meirice\u00e1 Thuaidh agus san Eor\u00e1ise<\/strong>.\u00a0 In fact, an caisearbh\u00e1n<\/strong> is often simply considered a widespread nuisance, more of a fiaile<\/strong> than a bl\u00e1th<\/strong>, although we could consider it a “fiaile bhl\u00e1thach<\/strong>” (a flowering weed).\u00a0 \u00a0And after all, they’re gleoite go leor<\/strong>, in their own over-populous way, agus inite, leis<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

So let’s take a look at the Irish for “dandelion.”\u00a0 There are actually at least five different terms for “dandelion,” several of which have several variations — an gn\u00e1thsc\u00e9al<\/strong>!<\/p>\n

This blogpost will probably just deal with the term that’s most widely used (fad m’eolais<\/strong>).\u00a0 Which means, right off that bat, that we’ll have to save any further discussion of “fiacail leoin<\/strong>” for another blogpost.\u00a0 Except (;-) to note that that phrase is the closest Irish equivalent to the French original of “dandelion,” which is “dent de lion<\/em>.”\u00a0 So no dandies, gaig\u00ed, gaig\u00edn\u00ed, gaig\u00ed na maige<\/strong>, or sc\u00f3its\u00e9ir\u00ed<\/strong> involved here, fun as it is to think of “dandelions” as “dandy lions” as in the historic Grandville print, ca. 1840 (th\u00edos<\/strong>) or Bill Peet’s more recent children’s book, Randy’s Dandy Lions<\/em> (1964).\u00a0 Which, I guess, could raise the question, are Peet’s lions dandies ( \u00e0 la Grandville) or are the lions simply “dandy lions” (i.e. fantastic).\u00a0 Bhuel sin ceist don Bh\u00e9arla!\u00a0 N\u00ed bhaineann an t-imeartas focal sin leis an nGaeilge!<\/strong><\/p>\n

As for the basic term, it’s “caisearbh\u00e1n<\/strong>” [kah-SHAR-uh-vawn].\u00a0 When I first learned this word, I picked out the “searbh<\/strong>” [bitter] part quite readily, but never really thought about why the plant is considered bitter to the taste and why we had “cai-<\/strong>” as a prefix.\u00a0 “Cai-<\/strong>” isn’t a standard prefix like “in-<\/strong>” or “m\u00ed-<\/strong>” or “droch-<\/strong>,” so I always vaguely wondered what it was doing there.\u00a0 Poking around online for writing this blogpost tells me that it’s the leaves that have the bitter taste and the “cai<\/strong>-” is probably really “cais<\/strong>” (or “cois<\/strong>” or “cos<\/strong>,” meaning foot), so the idea is something like “bitter-footed one.”\u00a0 Nice to know! \u00a0One of these days I’ll finally get around to eating a dandelion leaf salad, and then I guess I’ll have first-hand evidence about the “blas<\/strong>.”<\/p>\n

Some related terms are<\/p>\n

    \n
  1. a) searbh\u00e1n<\/strong>, lit. bitter one<\/li>\n
  2. b) searbh\u00e1n na muc<\/strong>, lit. bitter one of the pigs<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    And some alternate spellings, not seen much nowadays, are “caistreabh\u00e1n<\/strong>,” “caistsearbh\u00e1n<\/strong>,” and “gais-searbhain<\/strong>,” the latter suggesting more that the idea is “bitter-stemmed one” than “bitter-footed one.”\u00a0 So is “an gas<\/strong>” as “searbh<\/strong>” as “na duilleoga”?\u00a0 N\u00edl a fhios agam.\u00a0 An bhfuil a fhios agatsa?<\/strong><\/p>\n

    And btw, there is a different flower, possibly within the same g\u00e9ineas<\/strong>\u00a0(genus),” known as the \u00a0“caisearbh\u00e1n caol dearg<\/strong>” (lit. thin\/narrow red dandelion).\u00a0 Eolas ag duine ar bith faoi sin<\/strong>?<\/p>\n

    And btw2, although usually all yellow, there is at least one type of white dandelion, found in Japan (Taraxacum albidum<\/em>).<\/p>\n

    There’s so much more on dandelions, that I think we’ll have at least one more blogpost on them.\u00a0 I’m actually champing (chomping, do rogha f\u00e9in<\/strong>) at the bit to see if there’s an Irish language version of the folk nickname for this plant, variously known as “pissabeds,” “pissenlit<\/em>,” “pisacan<\/em>,” and “blodyn pi-pi gwely<\/em>.” So far I haven’t found any vernacular term which involves “m\u00fanadh<\/strong>” (not to be mistaken for “m\u00faineadh<\/strong>,” please!).\u00a0 Eolas ag duine ar bith ar leasainm mar sin<\/strong>?<\/p>\n

    Hoping you find this topic as suimi\u00fail<\/strong> as I do, SGF\u00a0 – R\u00f3isl\u00edn<\/strong><\/p>\n

    \"Un<\/a>

    Un Lion de Paris grafaic: J. J. Grandville, Les Animaux, 1840-1842)<\/em><\/p><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"\"\"

    (le R\u00f3isl\u00edn) Continuing our break from the flower-themed girls’ names (like Bl\u00e1ith\u00edn, Lile, and N\u00f3in\u00edn), we’ll look at another actual flower. \u00a0Why specifically a “bl\u00e1th bu\u00ed” at this particular time? \u00a0Well, we did n\u00f3in\u00edn\u00ed, which may be partly or all yellow, and then cama an ime, which are completely yellow (hence the “im” part of…<\/p>\n

    Continue Reading<\/a><\/p>","protected":false},"author":36,"featured_media":7948,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"content-type":""},"categories":[3898],"tags":[514385,460357,457210,303055,4490,255152,489247,460353,376620,514386,305833,4799,16889,460363,460354,111199,460911,8292,460364,514387,514388,460361,376626,460356,251440,458981,5902,460362,460365,211632,359594,460366,6460,460367,514389,460360,132166,460355],"class_list":["post-7944","post","type-post","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-irish-language","tag-bhlathach","tag-bitter","tag-blaithin","tag-blath","tag-bui","tag-buttercup","tag-cais","tag-caisearbhan","tag-cam-an-ime","tag-cama-an-ime","tag-cois","tag-cos","tag-dandelion","tag-dandy","tag-dent-de-lion","tag-duilleoga","tag-fiaile","tag-foot","tag-gaige","tag-gaigi","tag-gaigini","tag-grandville","tag-im","tag-jagged","tag-leaves","tag-lile","tag-lion","tag-lion-de-paris","tag-maige","tag-muc","tag-noinin","tag-peet","tag-pig","tag-randys-dandy-lions","tag-scoitseiri","tag-searbhan","tag-stem","tag-teeth"],"aioseo_notices":[],"aioseo_head":"\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t