obair

Irish

Etymology

From Old Irish opar, from Latin opera, from Proto-Indo-European *h₃ep- (“to work”).

Pronunciation

• (Munster, Connacht) IPA^(key): /ˈɔbˠəɾʲ/
• (Ulster) IPA^(key): /ˈʌbˠəɾʲ/, /ˈʊbˠəɾʲ/ (as if spelled ubair)

Noun

obair f (genitive singular oibre, nominative plural oibreacha)

1. verbal noun of oibrigh
2. work, labor

   Molann an obair an saor. (proverb)

   A man may be judged by his achievements.

   (literally, “The work commends the craftsman.”)

3. job, task
4. business, employment
5. handiwork

Declension

Declension of obair (second declension)

bare forms case singular plural nominative obair oibreacha vocative a obair a oibreacha genitive oibre oibreacha dative obair oibreacha forms with the definite article case singular plural nominative an obair na hoibreacha genitive na hoibre na n-oibreacha dative leis an obair don obair leis na hoibreacha

Derived terms

• athobair (“repetition of work”)
• bileog oibre (“worksheet”)
• binse oibre (“work-bench”)
• cailín oibre (“work-girl”)
• dea-obair (“good work; good deed”)
• eitic oibre (“work ethic”)
• grúpobair (“group-work”)
• obair adhmaid (“woodwork”)
• obair chloiche (“stonework, masonry”)
• obair ealaíne (“work of art”)
• obair ghloine (“glasswork”)
• obair láimhe (“handiwork”)
• obair lása (“lacework”)
• obair leathair (“leatherwork”)
• obair phaistí
• obair phíosála (“patchwork”)
• obair shnáthaide (“stitchery, needlework”)
• obair thógála (“construction work”)
• obair tí (“housework”)
• oibreacha Dé (“the works of God”)
• oibreacha poiblí (“public works”)
• scríob-obair (“scratch-work”)

Mutation

Mutated forms of obair

radical	eclipsis	with h-prothesis	with t-prothesis
obair	n-obair	hobair	not applicable

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

Further reading

• Ó Dónaill, Niall (1977) “obair”, in Foclóir Gaeilge–Béarla, Dublin: An Gúm, →ISBN
• de Bhaldraithe, Tomás (1959) “obair”, in English-Irish Dictionary, An Gúm
• “obair”, in New English-Irish Dictionary, Foras na Gaeilge, 2013-2025

Scottish Gaelic

Etymology

From Old Irish opar, from Latin opera, from Proto-Indo-European *h₃ep- (“to work”).

Pronunciation

• (Lewis) IPA^(key): /ˈopəð/
• (Uist, Barra) IPA^(key): /ˈopɪɾʲ/
• (Wester Ross) IPA^(key): /ˈupɪɾʲ/, /ˈupəɾʲ/, [ˈupəɹ̝ʲ~ˈupəj] (corresponding to the form ubair)

Noun

obair f (genitive singular obrach or oibre, plural obraichean)

1. work, job
2. employment

   Synonyms: cosnadh, dreuchd

Derived terms

• an-obair (“idle work; trifle”)
• ath-obair (“work done again”)
• blàth-obair (“embroidery, variegated needlework”)
• bùth-obrach (“workshop”)
• comh-obair (“joint work, the same employment”)
• deagh-obair (“good work; good deed”)
• droch-obair (“bad work; evil doing, crime; bad job”)
• duadh-obair (“hard labour; handicraft”)
• grinn-obair (“mechanics; mechanism”)
• ionad-obrach (“jobcentre”)
• lìon-obair (“net-work; chequer-work”)
• main-obair (“handiwork”)
• neach-obrach (“worker; employee”)
• obair-cheàrdach (“smithy-work”)
• obair-cheàrdail (“engine, machinery, work done by machinery”)
• obair-chrèadha (“porcelain, china-work, earthenware, delf, pottery”)
• obair-chumta (“task”)
• obair-dachaigh (“homework”)
• obair-dhachaidh
• obair-dhìon (“rampart, bulwark”)
• obair-ghloine (“glass-work”)
• obair-ghréis (“embroidery”)
• obair-iarainn (“foundry”)
• obair-inntinn (“theory”)
• obair-làimhe (“handiwork; work done by hand in contradistinction to that done by machinery”)
• obair-lann (“laboratory”)
• obair-latha (“day's work”)
• obair-lìonain, obair-lìn (“network, chequer-work”)
• obair-shlabhraidh (“chain-work”)
• obair-taighe (“housework”)
• obraiche (“worker, workman, labourer”)
• taigh-oibre (“workshop; factory”)

Related terms

• obraich (“work, labor; operate”, verb)

Mutation

Mutation of obair

radical	eclipsis	with h-prothesis	with t-prothesis
obair	n-obair	h-obair	t-obair

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

Further reading

• Gregory Toner, Sharon Arbuthnot, Máire Ní Mhaonaigh, Marie-Luise Theuerkauf, Dagmar Wodtko, editors (2019), “opar, (opair)”, in eDIL: Electronic Dictionary of the Irish Language