eDIL - Irish Language Dictionary

adj o, ā, Freq. as subst. Perh. disyllabic in Blathm. 629, cf. 37 .

(a) free; freeman (opp. to mug, daer). In O.Ir. usually glossing Lat. liber: soer, Ml. 47d3 . soiraib, 24a7b . sóer, Sg. 97b2 . Adv. int soer gl. libere, Ml. 31b18 . int soir, 95c6 . Compar. soiriu gl. liberior, Ml. 132b5 . in soer gl. ingenuum, Sg. 97b3 . neach saer gl. liber, Ir. Gl. 379 . saer, gl. libertus, 409 . ban-shaer (sic MS.), gl. libertabus, 292 . cenutad suír though ye are free, Wb. 4a10 (see Ériu v 112 ). eter sóir et dóir eter mug et coimdid, 27c15 . soer in cimid, ba huasal in mog-sa .i. Ísu, PH 3303 . bé sóir cech inbaid | lam' nóib, Hy. iv 8 (`I shall be safe', Thes. ii 326 ). With follg. prep. s.¤ ar, for independent (of), not bound (by): is s.¤ e ar a cinaid he is free from responsibility for damage done by them (of cows), Laws v 154.15 Comm . i[s] s.¤ iat ar cinaid a mbid `exempt from the liability of (supplying) food', iii 112.18 Comm . Cf. is s.¤ doib gan athgabail dibh im chinaid n-inblegain `free from being distrained for the liability of a kinsman', v 96.15 Comm . nách s.¤ lucht estechta in athimraid for in comarli-si that those who listen to the slander are not exempt from this injunction, PH 7689 . cia an ríogh-phort . . . | do bhí saor ar rígh Éireann independent of, Content. vi 53 . s.¤ ó free from: cúigeadh saor ód ríoghraidh thuaidh, Content. v 68 . ann sin bhías tusa sáor óm' mhionnuibhsi `clear from this my oath', Gen. xxiv 8 . ná bíodh súil . . . ré dhol saor uaidh to escape from it (i.e. death), TSh. 1050 . bid suír Irmumu ō togai[l] cipē rí bes hi Caisiul di chlaind Ōengusa, ZCP viii 315.27 . toil shaor `free-will', Donlevy 210.23 .

(b) free, enfranchised , hence in Laws of an enfranchised person possessing legal status and a corresponding lóg-enech or eneclann; for various classes of whom see the Uraicecht Becc, Laws v 1 ff . See also below under compds. saor ┐ daor, Laws i 40.11 , glossed saor .i. grad flatha, 42.2 Comm . Such `free' classes might be subdivided into those of higher and lower status, e.g. the class `nemeth' (person of free status) included saer- and daer-nemeth: atat do neimid docuisin for talmain .i. saeirnemead ┐ daerneimead. Ite saernemead filead (= filet) and .i. ecalsi, flatha, filidh, feine. Daerneimead imorro aes gacha dana olchena, Laws v 14.1ff. A `daer-' person might become `saer' by virtue of property or calling and vice versa a `saer-' might forfeit his status: i[s] saer cid cach creanus a suiri dia dan, v 14.28 , with comm.: is saer in cach cen[daig]us dan do da saerad no cendaigis saeiri do dun dan bis aige, amail ata gaba, 14.29 , i.e. who attains status by acquiring or practising a craft. saer cach o mainib, daer cach o mbelaib, v 18.12 , i.e. a man was s.¤ in virtue of his possession but might become `daer' by contracting as daercheile under a lord. The distinction may orig. have been racial, certain ruling tribes being s.¤, the inferior ones `daer'. tri cenela saera randsat in indsi so, Laws i 78.12 . itir na saerchlannaib .i. Ulaidh ┐ Feni Temrach ┐ Erna Dedaid; no Ulaidh ┐ Gaileoin ┐ Erna, 80.2 Comm . See also Celtic Ireland p. 58 .

(c) hence of belonging to upper or privileged classes, noble, orig. of birth or status, then in wider sense of the word: saor .i. uasal, O'Cl. is sóir a n-apstalact gl. qui sunt nubiles (= nobiles) in apostolís, Wb. 7b13 . Compar. is sairiu doib fognam dona ballaib ailib `it is nobler for them', Wb. 12b2 . is soiriu indate idail `nobler', Ml. 138c4 . dindí . . . nad soiriu cach, Sg. 161b10 . cid airechdu ┐ cid soiriu á c[h]enél, Ml. 115d8 . ateoch in ríg sóer suthain, Hy. vi 25 . cona chléir shóir shrúamaig, Fél. Dec. 7 . sab sóer suidi Phetair, Apr. 12 . co ṅardrígaib sóeraib, Ep. 286 . móethoclaech sáer sonairt, LU 3455 ( SCC 23 ). co saer-Nin, MacCarthy 316 § 6 . na seisc ind alaid ┐ na s.¤ na braiti what is free-born (noble) of the captive women, TBC-LL¹ 1754 = inas s.¤ na broidi, v.l. (H. 2.17) = (superl.) ambad soírem na mban, LU 5607 = TBC-I¹ 1127 (sāiream). Síol Mu-áin . . . | saoire ná síol cruithneachta, DDána 71.21 . As subst. gonaid sóeru | saigid oirgniu, LU 3389 ( SCC 17 ). fadarc súla sáir, TBC-LL¹ 4075 . mairc do dichenn an s.¤ seng, Irish Texts ii 12 § 18 . mor s.¤ ┐ ndaer, Stair Erc. 442 . do bhí saoir fá a stíoróip gentlemen, persons of position , Keat. Poems 923 . Adv. saor do-roighneadh duine dhíod, Aithd. D. 70.15 .

(d) of things: tír sorcha sáer, LU 3741 ( SCC 34 ). imdenam súla saire, LU 3820 ( SCC 37 ). fíon saor, Aithd. D. 65.5 . biadha saora sochaithmhe, PCT 224 . isna secht n-eladhnaibh . . . saera in the seven liberal arts, Stair Erc. 970 .

(e) free, ready, skilled (in performing someth.): nitat soír huili oc tintuúth a bélru `all are not skilled', Wb. 12b23 . Cf. sóer gl. diligens (interpres), Ml. 145c12 . sáer oc suidigud sillab, Sg. 7b11 (`an artist', Thes.). See 2 saer.

(f) in Class. Mod.Ir. easily obtained, gratis : saor a-bhos bláth na faighthe, DDána 7.6 . íoc a chneadh más é do b'ál | ní dhíol mé ar a meas go saor, Aithd. D. 86.9 . saor an snaidhm fa dheireadh dhó ibh easily loosed, DDána 34.18 .

Compds.

(a) with legal terms (see also under second element): ¤bard: na saer-baird, Laws v 388.13 Comm . ocht soerbaird ┐ ocht ndóerbaird, IT iii 5.6 . ¤bothach, Laws ii 288.24 Comm . Cóic Con. 76 - 7 . ¤chéile: is sóirchele do dia gl. libertus, Wb. 10a23 . a saerceili ┐ a daerceili, Laws i 40.27 Comm . a sóerchéli, Críth G. 323 . See Críth G. p. 107 , Ir. Recht 19 , Stud. Hib. xxxiv 25-26 etc. ¤chenél: itir saercenelaib ┐ daercenel, Laws iii 30.4 . ¤chorach capable of contracting independently: cach sochonn sóer-chorach, Contract Law 158 § 27 . ¤chúairt: saorcuairt Uladh do thabhairt d'Fhergus `the free circuit of Ulster', ITS v 190.2 . ? ¤ḟairgse: mada feallasdar saerfairgse (sic leg.?), Laws v 442.20 . ¤ḟlaith: cor ceile tsaor-fhlatha, Laws v 356.6 . ¤ḟuidir, Laws v 262.16 Comm . saer-fuidir fri re ndeisi, 512.11 Comm . See Cóic Con. 76 - 7 , Ir. Recht 75 f . ¤gíall: daérghialla . . . sáerghialla, Cóir Anm. 144 . ¤gíallna(e): techta saer-giallna, Laws v 358.2 . ¤manach: gidh s. gidh daermanach, Ir. Recht 26.12 . cethraimthe (sic leg.) a chodach (sic leg.) o sh. eagalsa d'eaglais, Laws iv 196.26 Comm . ¤mug: sóermug gl. libertus, Sg. 37a4 . sóirmug gl. libertus, Wb. 10a23 . ¤murchuirthe: saer murchure, Laws v 184.12 Comm . ¤nemed: saeir-nemead ┐ daer-neimeadh, Laws v 14.1 . ¤rath: céili coímthechta[e] lais i sóerrathaib ríg, Críth G. 406 (see p. 107 ). cain saerraith `law relating to free tenants', Laws i 40.22 . gin daorrath . . . gin saorrath do gabhail o flaith budéin, O'D. 571 ( H 3.17 , 442 ). do flaith tsaerraith, 515 ( 418 ). saorraith .i. cin giallna fria laimh . . ., ZCP xvi 211.8 . ¤thellach: tocombachtuib sealb saerteallaigh, Laws iv 2.1 . Note also: an tsaoir-breith `absolution', Donlevy 292.x . saoir-bhreitheamhnas, 15 .

(b) in general sense of free, noble (in poetry often merely for alliteration): ¤blíadain: iar secht saerbliadhnaib, MacCarthy 414 § 2 . ¤búaid: fri saerbuáid sain, SR 7233 . ¤chaindel: sóerchaindlea cech laithi (of persons), Fél. Prol. 288 . ¤chenél: co ndeilb ┐ écosc ┐ sóerchenel noble extraction, LU 3909 ( SCC 42 ). ¤chetul: a sóerchetul ṁbúansa `noble continuous song', Fél. Ep. 158 . ¤chlann noble family : sáorchlann, IGT Decl. § 12 (62.8) . cech sōerchland cinges talmain, Cáin Ad. 26 . menmanna na saerclann `nobles', CCath. 2735 . ? tar na saorchlannadhaibh, DDána 89.16 . Of an individual: oirdeochad duid a ndlighe | riom, a shaorchlann Shúilighe 'I will assign to you what you are entitled to from me, o noble scion of the river Swilly', Ériu lxiv 164 § 1.12​ . Hua Cerbaill, soerchland Muman, do marbad 'Ua Cerbaill, nobleman of Mumu, was slain', AI 210 (s.a. 1046.4)​ . ¤chlanndacht noble birth : ar a shocenelaige ┐ ar a saerclanndacht tar cach, BCC 56.31 . ¤chnú: trí saorchna a haonchrobhuing (the Trinity), Aithd. D. 58.27 . ¤elada: lucht . . . saerealadhan `philosophers', CCath. 5080 . ¤fher: s. cluiche Fhiann Eirenn, Acall. 6589 . saoirfhear a nobleman, Hackett xliv 35 . ¤macánacht: sóermacanacht Túaithe dé Danann, Acall. 7038 = saer-mhacámdacht `chief command of . . . young men', SG 200.18 . Cf. saormacantacht Éreann `free nobility', ITS v 24.16 . ¤maccaem: trí sáermaccáemi Túathi Dé Danann, MU² 574 . Mac L. . . . sóermaccáem Fhiann Eirenn, Acall. 6585 . ¤rolla noble roll : dá sháimhfhine féin is saerrulla an séimhidhe, L. Cl. A. B. 146.10 . ¤shlóg: fri sretha soerslóg, SR 6986 .

(c) with vnn. (cf. sír-?): ar ghráidh saoirleanta a seanchais `following up impartially (?)', Content. xxix 19 . acht a shaorrádh muin ar mhuin | ní fhuil acht aon-dán agaibh, x 29 . ic á sefnad ┐ ic á saer-shéinm, Acall. 7448 . rodbi slan saertoimilt caich dia railiu (of a married couple separating), Laws ii 388.14 . With part.: mac saerleicthi `emancipated son', Laws i 52.30 Comm . , cf. 90.15 . don mac bis ar fannel(o) o nathair gin a gaire do denam .i. an mac saorleigi, ii 24.6 Comm . See ZCP xv 312 - 13 .

(d) with adjj.: la S. sairdron, SR 802 . la I. saergrinn, 2863 . Freq. with adjj. derived from nouns: ¤brethach of noble judgements : do fhréimh shaoirbhreathaigh Sh., TD 26.18 . ¤chlannda of noble birth : inghen tsaorchlanda (: chaorphlanda), Irish Texts ii 107 § 26 . Nia Corb saorchlannda, TD 32.28 . fan laogh síthe saorchlannda, DDána 80.28 . oighre saer-clannda S., BNnÉ 198.13 . As subst.: saorclanda d'Eoganacht a noble of the E., TFrag. 208.14 . ¤threbraid nobly woven : go slait saoirthreabhraigh sróill nduinn, L. Cl. A. B. 99.171 .