bith

See also: bìth, bíth, bið, biþ, and bith-

Dinka

Noun

bith (plural biith)

1. fishing spear

   Synonym: biɛnh

Derived terms

• bɛ̈ny bith (“spear-chief”)
• ubith (“fishhook”)

References

• Roger Blench (2005), Dinka-English Dictionary‎^[1], page 29

Irish

Etymology

From Old Irish bith, from Proto-Celtic *bitus (compare Welsh byd).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /bʲi(h)/

Noun

bith m (genitive singular beatha, uncountable)

1. (literary) world

Declension

Declension of bith (third declension, no plural)

bare forms singular nominative bith vocative a bhith genitive beatha dative bith forms with the definite article singular nominative an bith genitive an bheatha dative leis an mbith don bhith

Derived terms

• ar bith (“any, at all”)
• trí bhith síor (“for all eternity”)

Mutation

Mutated forms of bith

radical	lenition	eclipsis
bith	bhith	mbith

Note: Certain mutated forms of some words can never occur in standard Modern Irish.
All possible mutated forms are displayed for convenience.

Lower Tanana

Stem

bith

1. Verbal stem occurring in the following root, aspect, and mode combinations:

Aspect	Imperfective	Perfective	Future	Optative
Customary	botth (roll)	botth (roll)	botth (roll)	botth (roll)

Middle English

Alternative forms

• biþ, beth, bis, bes

Etymology

From Old English biþ, third-person present singular of bēon (“to be”), from Proto-Germanic *biuþi, third-person present singular of *beuną (“to be, become”).

Verb

bith

1. third-person singular present indicative of been

Usage notes

This form is less common than is except in southern dialects.

Descendants

• English: bes, beeth (now obsolete or dialectal)
• Fingallian: bes
• Yola: beeth

Old Irish

Etymology 1

From Proto-Celtic *bitus (compare Welsh byd).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈbʲiθʲ/

Noun

bith m (genitive betho or betha, nominative plural betha)

1. world
   • c. 800–825, Diarmait, Milan Glosses on the Psalms, published in Thesaurus Palaeohibernicus (reprinted 1987, Dublin Institute for Advanced Studies), edited and with translations by Whitley Stokes and John Strachan, vol. I, pp. 7–483, Ml. 68^b9

     cia beith ar n‑acathar nech inna rétu inducbaidi in betha so, arnach·corathar i mmoth ⁊ machthad dia seirc ⁊ dia n‑accubur

     though it be that someone sees the glorious things of this world, that he may not be put in stupor and admiration by love for them and by desire for them

Declension

Masculine u-stem

	singular	dual	plural
nominative	bith	bithL	bethaH
vocative	bith	bithL	bethu
accusative	bithN	bithL	bethu
genitive	bethoH, bethaH	bethoL, bethaL	bethaeN
dative	biuthL	bethaib	bethaib

Initial mutations of a following adjective:

• ^H = triggers aspiration
• ^L = triggers lenition
• ^N = triggers nasalization

Descendants

• Irish: bith
• →? Middle Welsh: byth
  • Welsh: byth

Etymology 2

See the etymology of the corresponding lemma form.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /bʲiθ/

Verb

bith

1. inflection of is:
   1. third-person singular past subjunctive
   2. third-person singular future

Etymology 3

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈbʲiːθ/

Verb

bith

1. alternative spelling of bíth

Mutation

Mutation of bith

radical	lenition	nasalization
bith	bith pronounced with /βʲ-/	mbith

Note: Certain mutated forms of some words can never occur in Old Irish.
All possible mutated forms are displayed for convenience.

Scottish Gaelic

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /b̥ih/

Etymology 1

From Old Irish bith, from Proto-Celtic *bitus (compare Welsh byd).

Noun

bith f

1. being, existence, life
2. a living

Derived terms

• à bith (“extinct”)
• bith-beò (“living”)
• bith-bhuan (“eternal, everlasting”)
• bith-eòlas (“biology”)
• ge be (“whatever, whatsoever”)
• rud sam bith (“anything”)
• sam bith (“any; at all”)

Etymology 2

Noun

bith f (Lewis, Wester Ross)

1. hatred
   • 1976, Iain Mac a’ Ghobhainn, chapter 11, in An t-Aonaran, page 45:

     Sheall mi ás a dhéidh gus an deach e á sealladh le bhith ’na mo chridhe.

     I watched him until he went out of sight with hatred in my heart.

2. malice, malignity