Foclóir Draíochta
- Dictionary of Druidism
by Seán
Ó Tuathail
Copyright ©
1993 John Kellnhauser/Cainteanna na Luise
May be reposted as long as the above attribution and copyright notice
are retained
A
B C
D E
F G
H I
L M
N O
P R
S T
U
Plurals
follow nouns in ( )s
AA
( aw ) ............................................. v áirne.
abhainn
- river.
ábhar (ábhair) - student, subject, potential quality,
fair portion.
abú - interjection following proper name, loosely "hail
forever".
achar feadha's feadh achair - (untranslatable: "duration/area
of distance /duration and/is extent of extent" etc) - premise
that 1) "time" is a "field" like space, not a
"flow"; 2) distance and duration interact; 3) both time
and space are "subjective".
ádh - "good luck" as either good dán or as
indicated by líth.
adhann - coltsfoot (v sponc).
ádhmharaighe - lit. "lucky injury", paradoxical serendipity,
i.e. the wrong thing at the right time, something wherein an error
produces a result better than planned, 7rl.
áer - v aoir.
aerach - gay (in both "happy" and "homosexual"
senses).
aes dána - poets, harpers, artists as a social privileged class.
ag tosú - at (the) beginning.
Agallamh - 1) dialogue; 2) v Acallam na Seanórach, a seanchas.
agus araile (written "7rl") - et cetera.
aided - death tale, a major type of seanchas (v oidhe).
aigne - mind, basic dispositions, emotional outlook, basic inclinations
(cf aireachtail, ciall, cuihmne, dúil, éirim, inchinn,
intinn, meabhair, meanma, meon, mothú, smaoineamh, toil).
ail anscuichthe - "immovable (large) stone", validating
testimony from a non-plant/animal/person.
áilgeis - poet's right of (esp. derogatory or egotistical)
demand (which must be granted as the force of geis).
aill - cliff.
ailt - cliff bordered ravine.
aimhleas - harmful path in life.
aíocht - hospitality as a duty.
airbhe - an encircling "hedge" which protects those inside
and may be crossed but with ill-effect on whom does so.
aircheadal - set-piece poetry or chant.
aireachtail - perception, sense (both physical and 6th), cf aigne
7rl.
áireán - being nocturnal, night vigil, visiting at night.
airgead - 1) silver; 2) modern word for money.
airmert - 1) preparation, equipment; 2) effort; 3) prohibitive bríocht
(not as strong as geis).
áirne - blackthorn, fiodh for letter A, associated with, among
other things, quarrel, vigil.
aisling (-í) - dream/trance vision much stronger more lucid
than taibhreamh.
aiteacht - sensation of thing or place being "not quite right"
but not being able to tell why.
aiteann - horse.
Aithirne - Ulster druid known for áilgeasa.
aithriocht - shape-shifting, actual not mealladh (v athdholb).
aitire - hostage surety.
Albu - 1) ársa: all of Britain; 2) modern [Alba]: Scotland.
Almu - dún of the fianna in n. Co. Kildare (cf Dún Aillinne).
altramas - fosterage between generations more important than blood-ties.
amadán - fool (esp. one with briotais of getting others in
trouble).
amhailt - 1) threatening phantom; 2) formothú, etc., of threat.
amhainseacht - paleo-shamanism, seizure trance.
Amhairghin Glúingeal - first and greatest mortal poet-druid
who challenged the Tuatha Dé Danann and called forth Ireland
from behind the mists of invisibility; his name means: "Birth
of Song, of the Bright Knees [= Generations]"; variant spellings
include Aimhirgin, usually rendered in english as "Amergin"
(v Duan Amhairghine).
Amhairghin mac Eicet - Ulster poet-druid.
amhlaidh - thus, used as "go raibh amhlaaidh", "so
be it", but not as a wish for something to occur but that the
requirements have already been met and said conditions should continue
as they are now (as mallacht it means "may you be stuck with
this forever").
amhra - wonder, marvel, nobility, charm.
amhrán - song.
amú - 1) wasted, in vain; 2) astray (as from Sídhe).
anáil - 1) breath; 2) strength; 3) (esp. verbal) influence.
anam - soul (probably a loan-word, v bradán, brí).
anamimirce - transmigration of soul.
anfa - tempest, storm (used of magic instead of the borrowed "stoirm").
ánradh - 6th (from bottom up) rank poet.
ánruth - v ánradh.
aoir - bríocht satire, usually mallacht .
aonarán - hermit, recluse (cf díthreabach).
aor - v aoir.
aosán - neach Sídhe of ill-intent.
árach - 1) bond, security, linkage; 2) opening advantage, favorable
opportunity; 3) "offer", solicitation to act a certain way
to gain bua, v caoi.
ard - high (often prefixed).
ard-draoi - arch-druid (a social position).
ardartha - salute to only extremely high authority, fists to forehead.
ardfhile - high-poet, a social position.
ardrí - high-king.
ardtiarna - high lord, one of the ranking leaders, master adepts,
etc., of the Tuatha Dé Danann or any neach Sídhe of
equivalent nature (never used for any mortal).
arracht (-aí) - spectre, monster, 7rl (loose term, real or
illusion).
ársa - ancient, archaic.
ársachumadh - deliberate anacharicism or archaicization in
seanchais.
asarlaí - occultist, ritual magician.
asarlaíocht - occultism, hermetics, ritual magic (cf piseogacht).
ascalt - 1) lack of food; 2) lower level of bua than required for
a specific working.
astaidhbhreacht - "reading" (in the clairvoyant sense of
an object).
athair thalún - yarrow.
athdholb - shape-shifted form.
athgabháil - allowable reprisal.
athionchollú - reincarnation (not a regular feature of draíocht).
athmhothú - (act of switching) alternative states of consciousness.
athshocrú - alternate arrangement (during somhoill, etc.)
audacht - (text) of learned reportage and advice (modern Irish "uacht"
is "will, testament").
B
( bay ) ............................................ v beith.
badbh - 1)
carrion-crow; 2) neach Sídhe of battle.
bagair - threaten, beckon toward, chase away, threaten.
bail - prosperity, validity.
bain - extract, release, agitate, win, evoke, gain, begin, induce,
remove, obtain, deprive, interfere with, stay, appease, control, relate.
baint - v bain.
baisleac - wisewoman, female folk-wizard, woman upthóg.
bán - white, associated with emptiness, weakness (cf geal).
Banda - an alternate name for Ireland.
bándhraíocht - "white druidism", i.e. fake
druidism drained dry of genuine elements, or diluted of difficulty
to be popular.
bard (baird) -low class [non-druid] songster.
bás - death (considered part of dán).
Beag mac Deadh - druid of Diarmaid mac Cearbhaill (qv).
béalaíocht - oral tradition (in general).
béalaithris - oral tradition, oral account.
Bealtaine - quarter day beginning sunset 30th April, day of arrival
of both mortals and Tuatha Dé Danann in Ireland.
beannacht (-aí) - 1) with ar (beannacht ort): blessing; 2)
with do (beannacht duit): greetings; (the word is, based on the double-n,
not a Latin loan, but from "beann", "antler").
Beannú na déithe's n'aindhéithe ort - "The
blessings of the gods and the non-gods upon you".
béarla - 1) english language (cf sasanaigh); 2) jargon, cant.
beathnua - St John's wort.
beirbhéine - vervain.
beith - birch, fiodh for the letter B, associated with, among other
things, beginning, cleansing.
beo - person's life, physical incarnation.
beo fada is bás in Éirinn - "Long life and may
you die in Ireland!"
biáidh - blessing.
bile (bilí) - any large, isolated sacred tree.
bís - spiral.
bliáin is lá - "a year and a day", a full
364-day solar cycle, Samhain, not part of the year proper, being the
extra day.
bó - cow, associated with prosperity and female beauty.
bobcheist - trick question.
bochtóg - neach Sídhe associated with sea.
bodhrán - 1) deaf person; 2) native Irish tambourine-like drum.
bolg gréine - "sun bubble", magical growth on plants
conferring insight when eaten.
bolg is buinní - "bag and pipes" (píb uilleann,
"Uillean pipes" is a modern borrowing, as is the instrument,
but this term exists from pre-christian sources, indicating an earlier
form).
bonn (boinn) - sole (of foot), foothold, standing (in rank), foundation,
footprint, spoor, coin, token, metal.
bradán - 1) salmon (v eo fis); 2) life principle of individual.
bran - raven.
branán - raven.
brandubh - board game, apparently simpler than fidcheall and/or involving
lots.
brat (brait) - cloak, for a druid always without hood, multi-coloured.
breac - speckled, symbolizing magical power (either brí or
bua).
breachsholas - twilight, the time of most powerful brí.
breachtraíocht - (general term) magic (esp. folk-, herbal).
breactradh - (general term) magic, charms, 7rl.
breitheamh - brehon.
breithiúnais - Brehon Laws.
brí - inherent/intrinsic personal power set by dán (lit.
essence, vigour, significance), cannot be won or gained, only developed
or allowed to atrophy; cf bua.
briathar - verb, word.
bríathar - word, adage.
briatharchath - egotistical laochas-like boast-speech before battle.
brigh - v brí.
bríocht (-aí) - spell, largely or fully verbal (the
modern form of the word is spelt, and pronounced, with a short "i",
briocht).
briocht - v bríocht.
brionglóid - dream (general term).
briotais - inherent talent (in a specific thing).
brosna (-í) - withered branch or dead wood gathered by hand
(i.e. not requiring permission of the tree or ritual).
brú - hostel, Sídhe-hill, esp. the latter (cf bruíon).
Brú na Bhóinne - Newgrange.
bruane - fire-seed, embers from which other fires are lit.
brugh - v brú.
bruidhean - v bruíon.
bruigh - v brú.
bruíon - hostel, Sídhe-hill, esp. the former (cf brú).
brúthaoscadh - to drain pressure, loosen tightness, psychically.
bua - 1) gained or attained personal power, esp. in a given area (cf
brí); 2) [usually as plural buatha:] actions which win or maintain
bua v tairbhe); (lit. victory, merit, talent).
buachaitheamh - to "flare power", neutral samhlchaitheamh.
buachloch - power-object.
búad - v bua.
buannaíocht - 1) boldness, presumption; 2) having or using
briotais.
buas - 1) spring (water); 2) wealth (specifically one's "store"
of bua, but also of gold, property, etc).
buí - yellow, associated with thanksgiving and praise.
bunchur - "let this happen" part of bríocht.