"Silver" (colour) as Geailge?

Sixty_Niner

Can someone tell me the Irish for "Silver" (as in the colour silver, not the airgead).

I'm using it in the context of "Silver Fox" = "Sinnoch Silver".... ?

Thanks,
60

Gael

Sixty_Niner wrote:

Can someone tell me the Irish for "Silver" (as in the colour silver, not the airgead).

I'm using it in the context of "Silver Fox" = "Sinnoch Silver".... ?

Thanks,
60

The Irish word for 'silver' is 'airgead'. And yes, it is same word as 'money' in Irish. Apparently the word 'airgead' comes from the Latin 'argentum', which means both 'money' and 'silver'.

However The other thing to be considered is that 'silver' isn't really used in that manner in Irish(i.e. to denote a white/grey colour)as it is in English. In an Irish language context, 'Sionnach Airgid' would be taken to mean 'A Fox made of Silver', not 'A Fox of Silver Colour'.

It's more usual to use a word like 'Geal' in that context. 'An Sionnach Geal' for instance. So I would recommend you use 'Geal' instead of 'Airgead'.

Sixty_Niner

Thanks Gael... thats interesting... but one last question, what specifically does "Geal" actually mean? Whats the best translation of it into English.

As an alternative workaround "Grey Fox" would also be appropriate for me....

Ger

qz

I'm pretty sure 'geal' would mean 'bright'.

Gael

qz wrote:

I'm pretty sure 'geal' would mean 'bright'.

Yup! Bright or light coloured. Grey would be 'liath'.

aonfocaleile

Geal is the appropriate word methinks. It is also used in the term white wine. Literal translation would be fian bán but the correct term is fian geal.

An tsionnach geal - the silver fox - see below taken from An foclóir beag;

geal [aidiacht den chéad díochlaonadh]
ar dhath an tsneachta nó an aoil; ar dhath an airgid; cosúil le solas an lae nó na gréine; glan, sona; áthasach, geanúil (anam geal, gáire geal, a ghrá geal, is geal an scéal liom é).