HeyRuaHow to say “bald” in Irish
- Irish:
- maol
- English:
- bald, bare, blunt, hornless
- Word type:
- adjective
- Balder:
- níos maoile
- Baldest:
- is maoile
- Plural:
- maola
- Pronunciation:
- “mwayl” /mˠeːlˠ/
What does “maol” mean?
“Maol” has four alternative meanings. The most common comes first.
- bald
- Having little or no hair on the head.Also: bald-headed, hairless.
3 other meanings: bare or blunt or hornless
- 2bare
- Without its usual covering, such as a bare hill or a roofless house.Also: bleak, roofless, flat-topped.
- 3blunt
- Not sharp or pointed; having a dull edge or rounded end.Also: dull, edgeless.
- 4hornless
- Of an animal, having no horns.Also: polled, dehorned.
“Maol” after a noun
An Irish adjective comes after its noun. Here is maol after fear (man, masculine), after bean (woman, feminine) and after a plural.
séimhiú (the h) the ending
After a feminine noun the adjective gets a séimhiú, an h after its first letter: bean mhaol. After a masculine noun it stays as it is: fear maol.
With a plural noun the adjective takes its plural form, maola. It also gets an h after a plural that ends in a slender consonant: fir mhaola; after other plurals it does not: mná maola.
Balder, baldest, very bald
Tá m'athair níos maoile ná mo dheartháir. My father is balder than my brother.
| balder | níos maoile | in the past tense: ní ba mhaoile |
|---|---|---|
| baldest | is maoile | in the past tense: ba mhaoile |
| as bald as | chomh maol le | no change after chomh |
| very bald | an-mhaol | an- lenites, except d, t and s |
| too bald | rómhaol | ró- lenites |
“Maol” in a sentence: Irish examples
With a masculine noun, a feminine noun, a plural, a comparison and on its own.
Other adjectives in Irish
More everyday Irish adjectives to learn next.
Bald in Irish: frequently asked questions
What is the Irish for bald?
The Irish for bald is maol (pronounced “mwayl”). It comes after the noun: fear maol, a bald man; bean mhaol, a bald woman.
How do you say balder and baldest in Irish?
níos maoile is balder and is maoile is baldest. In the past tense they become ní ba mhaoile and ba mhaoile.
Why does maol become mhaol?
After a feminine singular noun an adjective is lenited: it gets an h after its first letter. So bean mhaol (a bald woman) but fear maol (a bald man), because fear is masculine.
What is the plural of maol?
With a plural noun maol becomes maola: fir mhaola, mná maola. After a plural that ends in a slender consonant it is lenited as well.
How do you say very bald in Irish?
an-mhaol. Too bald is rómhaol, and as bald as is chomh maol le.
Does maol have more than one meaning?
Yes. Maol can mean bald, bare, blunt or hornless, depending on context; the first is the most common.
What is the difference between 'maol' and 'lom'?
'Maol' is the usual word for a bald head or a hornless animal, as in 'ceann maol', while 'lom' means bare or stripped in general, as in 'crann lom'.
How do I say a blunt knife?
You can say 'scian mhaol', the opposite of 'scian ghéar'.
