mair

See also: Mair and maïr

English

Alternative forms

• mar, mare, mer, meer, mere, major (obsolete)

Etymology

From Middle English mair, mare, from Old English māra (“more”), from Proto-Germanic *maizô. More at more.

Pronunciation

• (UK, Geordie) IPA^(key): /mɛə/
• Rhymes: -ɛə(ɹ)

Adjective

mair (not comparable)

1. (Geordie, Scotland) more

Adverb

mair (not comparable)

1. (Geordie, Scotland) more

Noun

mair (plural mairs)

1. (Scotland, historical) One of various former royal officials in the Kingdom of Scotland.

Synonyms

• mayor

Hyponyms

• mair of fee

Anagrams

• Rima, raim, rami, AMIR, Mari, Amir, Mira, RIMA, Irma, amir, rima, Rami, RAIM

Irish

Etymology

From Old Irish maraid, mairid (“persist, remain alive”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /mˠaɾʲ/
• (Ulster) IPA^(key): /mˠæɾʲ/, /mˠɛɾʲ/

Verb

mair (present analytic maireann, future analytic mairfidh, verbal noun maireachtáil, past participle mairthe)

1. live, remain, survive

   Go maire tú é.

   May you live to enjoy it.

   Maireann croí éadrom i bhfad. (proverb)

   A light heart lives long.

   Sláinte chuig na fir agus go maire na mná go deo! (popular toast)

   Health to the men and may the women live forever!

   • 1906, E. C. Quiggin, A Dialect of Donegal (overall work in English), Cambridge University Press, § 262, page 93:

     Nˈi:rˈ iNˈiʃ mˈə ə ʃkˈɛəl də nˈαχ ə mwerˈəN

     [níor inis mé an scéal go neach a maireannn]

     I did not tell the story to a soul alive

2. last (“endure, hold out, continue”)
   • 1899, Franz Nikolaus Finck, Die araner mundart [The Aran Dialect], volume II (overall work in German), Marburg: Elwert’sche Verlagsbuchhandlung, page 199:

     mŭȧŕə n wūn dūń kaiḱīš elə.

     [Mairfidh an mhóin dúinn coicís eile.]

     The turf will last us another fortnight.

Conjugation

conjugation of mair (first conjugation – A)

		singular			plural			relative	autonomous
		first	second	third	first	second	third
indicative	present	mairim	maireann tú; mairir†	maireann sé, sí	mairimid	maireann sibh	maireann siad; mairid†	a mhaireann; a mhaireas / a maireann*	mairtear
	past	mhair mé; mhaireas	mhair tú; mhairis	mhair sé, sí	mhaireamar; mhair muid	mhair sibh; mhaireabhair	mhair siad; mhaireadar	a mhair / ar mhair*	maireadh
	past habitual	mhairinn / mairinn‡‡	mhairteá / mairteᇇ	mhaireadh sé, sí / maireadh sé, s퇇	mhairimis; mhaireadh muid / mairimis‡‡; maireadh muid‡‡	mhaireadh sibh / maireadh sibh‡‡	mhairidís; mhaireadh siad / mairidís‡‡; maireadh siad‡‡	a mhaireadh / a maireadh*	mhairtí / mairt퇇
future		mairfidh mé; mairfead	mairfidh tú; mairfir†	mairfidh sé, sí	mairfimid; mairfidh muid	mairfidh sibh	mairfidh siad; mairfid†	a mhairfidh; a mhairfeas / a mairfidh*	mairfear
conditional		mhairfinn / mairfinn‡‡	mhairfeá / mairfeᇇ	mhairfeadh sé, sí / mairfeadh sé, s퇇	mhairfimis; mhairfeadh muid / mairfimis‡‡; mairfeadh muid‡‡	mhairfeadh sibh / mairfeadh sibh‡‡	mhairfidís; mhairfeadh siad / mairfidís‡‡; mairfeadh siad‡‡	a mhairfeadh / a mairfeadh*	mhairfí / mairf퇇
subjunctive	present	go maire mé; go mairead†	go maire tú; go mairir†	go maire sé, sí	go mairimid; go maire muid	go maire sibh	go maire siad; go mairid†	—	go mairtear
	past	dá mairinn	dá mairteá	dá maireadh sé, sí	dá mairimis; dá maireadh muid	dá maireadh sibh	dá mairidís; dá maireadh siad	—	dá mairtí
imperative		mairim	mair	maireadh sé, sí	mairimis	mairigí; mairidh†	mairidís	—	mairtear
verbal noun		maireachtáil
past participle		mairthe

* indirect relative
† archaic or dialect form
‡‡ dependent form used with particles that trigger eclipsis

Alternative verbal nouns: maireachtaint, mairstean

Derived terms

• maireachtáil (“living (noun)”)
• go maire tú an lá (“happy birthday”)

Mutation

Mutated forms of mair

radical	lenition	eclipsis
mair	mhair	not applicable

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

Manx

Etymology

From Old Irish mér, possibly from Proto-Indo-European *mh₂ḱrós.

Noun

mair f (genitive singular mair, plural meir)

1. (anatomy) finger, digit
2. prong
3. key (of piano)
4. hand (of clock)
5. tributary (of river)

Derived terms

• mair chass, mair choshey (“toe”)
• mair choshey veg, mair veg ny coshey (“little toe”)
• mair ny fainey (“ring finger”)
• mair veg (“little finger”)
• mair vooar (“middle finger”)
• mair-chlaare (“keyboard, fingerboard”)
• mair-chooilleeney (“masturbation”)

 

Mutation

Manx mutation
Radical	Lenition	Eclipsis
mair	vair	unchanged
Note: Some of these forms may be hypothetical. Not every possible mutated form of every word actually occurs.

Occitan

Pronunciation

• Audio (Gascony):

  (file)

Noun

mair f (plural mairs)

1. (Gascony) mother
2. (Gascony) riverbed

Scots

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /meːr/

Etymology 1

From northern Middle English mare, from Old English māra (compare English more, and German mehr), from Proto-Germanic *maizô.

Adjective

mair (not comparable)

1. bigger, greater

Adverb

mair (not comparable)

1. more

Derived terms

• mair by taiken
• mair oot ower
• the mair

Related terms

• mae

Etymology 2

From Middle English meyr, from Old French maire (“head of a city or town government”), from Latin maior (“bigger, greater, superior”), comparative of magnus (“big, great”).

Noun

mair (plural mairs)

1. (archaic) mayor

Derived terms

• mair o fee
• mairship
• shirra-mair

Etymology 3

From Old English mōr.

Alternative forms

• muir

Noun

mair (plural mairs)

1. (Southern Scots) moor

Scottish Gaelic

Etymology

From Old Irish maraid, mairid (“persist, remain alive”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /maɾʲ/

Verb

mair (past mhair, future mairidh, verbal noun mairsinn or maireann or maireachdainn, past participle mairte)

1. last, continue

Synonyms

• seas

Derived terms

• maireannach
• nach maireann