This page needs to be proofread.
OF THE GAELIC LANGUAGE.
263
nighean and ui, nepotis (Stokes). The G. nic, really "grand-daughter", stands for inghean mhic or ní mhic; we have recorded in 1566 Ne Vc Kenze (M'Leod Charters).
nigh, wash, Ir. nighim, E. Ir. nigim, O. Ir. dofonuch, lavo, nesta, laveris: *ligô, I. E. neiꬶô; Gr. νίζω, νίπτω; Eng. nick, Auld Nick, a water power, Ger. nix; Skr. nij, clean.
nighean, a daughter; a corruption of inghean, q.v.
nimh, poison, Ir. nimh; see neimh.
nior, not (with perfect tense), Ir. níor, E. Ir. nír = ní-ro; ro is the sign of past tenses.
nios, neas, a weazel, Ir. neas, eas(óg), O. Ir. ness:
nìos, from below, up, Ir. aníos, E. Ir. anís; from an (see a number 5) and ìos.
nis, now, Ir. anois, M. Ir. anosa, E. Ir. innossai, O. Ir. indossa; ind (now an) of the article and G. fois, rest. The word appears in a bhos, q.v. The form indorsa, this hour (= now), is rejected by Ascoli as a misspelling for indossa.
ni 's, id quod, the usual classical Gaelic with the verb substantive to denote comparative state: tha i ni's fheàrr, she is better, Ir nios, M. Ir. ní is: "thing that is", from ni and is. The usual and true Gaelic form na 's is not a degraded form of Ir. ni 's. The G. na of na 's is simply na = id quod (see na); the Ir. is some mediæval development with ní, for old ana, id quod, was lost, the simple a (art.) being used now in its stead, as in O. Ir. As it was impossible to use a in the comparative construction with clearness, recourse was had to ní is. Thus Ir.: An tan do thógradh ní ba mó do dheunamh = G. An tan a thogradh e na bu mhò a dhèanamh. Hence ni 's should never have been used in Sc. Gaelic.
niùc, a corner; from the Sc. neuk, M. Eng. nōk. Dial. iùc. Skeat thinks the Eng. is the borrower.
no, or, vel, Ir. ná, E. Ir., O. Ir. nó, W. neu; see na.
nochd, to-night, Ir. anochd, O. Ir. innocht, hac nocte: the art. and nochd, night, W. henoeth, corn. neihur, Br. neyzor, nos: *nokti-; Lat. nox, noctis; Gr. νúξ, νυκτός; Got. nahts, Eng. night; Lit. naktìs; Skr. nákti.
nochd, naked, Ir. nochdadh, manifestation, O. Ir. nnocht, W. noeth, Corn. noyth, Br. noaz: *noqto-; Got. naqaþs, O. H. G. nacot, Eng. naked; further cf. Lat. nûdus (*nogvidus); Slav. nagŭ; Skr. nagná.
nodadh, a nod, suggestion; from the Eng.
nodha, new; see nuadh.
noig, the anus:
noig, old-fashioned face; noigeiseach, snuffy; noigeanach (D. Bàn):
