(2) A large number of nouns ending in a broad consonant are feminine. A very full list of commonly used feminine nouns ending in a broad consonant will be found in Appendix II.
FEMININE NOUNS.
43. (a) Names of females and designations of females are feminine: bean, a woman; cearc, a hen; máṫair, a mother; inġean, a daughter.
(b) The names of countries and rivers are feminine: as Éire, Ireland; an Life, the Liffey; an Ḃearḃa, the Barrow.
(c) Words of two or more syllables ending in aċt or in óg are feminine: as fuiseóg, a lark; driseóg, a briar; milseaċt, sweetness; leaṁnaċt, new-milk.
(d) All abstract nouns formed from the genitive singular feminine of adjectives are feminine: as áirde, height—from árd, high; áilne, beauty—from áluinn, beautiful; daille, blindness—from dall, blind.
(e) Nouns ending in a consonant or two consonants preceded by a slender vowel, are feminine: as tír, country; onóir, honour; uair, an hour; súil, an eye.
Exceptions:—(1) Personal nouns ending in óir. (2) Diminutives in ín. (3) Names of males, as aṫair, a father; buaċaill, a boy. (4) Also the following nouns:—buaiḋ, a victory; druim, the back; ainm,[1] a name; greim, a piece; geit, a fright, a start; and foclóir, dictionary, vocabulary.
- ↑ Ainm is feminine in S. Munster.
