idir

See also: idir-

Irish

Alternative forms

• eadair, eadar (Ulster)
• eidir (Connacht)

Etymology

From Old Irish eter, from Proto-Indo-European *h₁enter (“between”). Cognate with Latin inter (“between”) and Sanskrit अन्तर् (antár, “between, within, into”). Compare Scottish Gaelic eadar.

Pronunciation

• (Munster) IPA^(key): /ˈɪdʲəɾʲ/
• (Galway) IPA^(key): /ˈɛdʲəɾʲ/ (corresponding to the form eidir)
• (Ulster) IPA^(key): /ˈɛd̪ˠəɾʲ/ (corresponding to the form eadair)

Preposition

idir (plus nominative in singular, dative in plural, triggers lenition except in certain constructions with distance, time, difference, or opposition)

1. between

   idir fhir agus mhná ― between men and women

   • 2014, Bruno Coulais (lyrics and music), “Amhrán Na Farraige”:

     Idir ann is idir as. Idir thuaidh is idir theas.

     Between in and between out. Between north and between south.

2. both (paired with agus (“and”))

   idir chait agus mhadraí ― both cats and dogs

3. partly...partly..., half...half... (paired with agus (“and”))

   idir bheith ag caint agus chanadh ― half talking, half singing

Usage notes

• In modern usage, has inflected forms only in the plural. Is used with nouns and singular pronouns in combination with another noun or pronoun:

idir é agus mé ― between him and me

• In the sense of strictly "between", does not trigger lenition when a definite path can be traced between the things being described; often occurs with distance, time, and difference and almost always occurs with opposition:

idir Maigh Eo agus Gaillimh ― between Mayo and Galway

idir fómhar agus geimhreadh ― between autumn and winter

an difríocht idir maith agus olc ― the difference between good and evil

cogadh idir tíortha ― war between countries

cluiche idir Baile Átha Cliath agus Corcaigh ― a game between Dublin and Cork

But:

idir thithe ― between houses (indistinct, cannot be represented by a definite path)

idir shaoirí ― between holidays

cur idir dhaoine ― to interfere between people

• When mutation does occur, the s in agus blocks mutation of d, s, and t in the following word even though it is not the trigger:

idir Phádraig agus Tadhg ― between Patrick and Tadhg

idir rith agus siúl ― half running, half walking

idir shonas agus deora ― between happiness and tears

Inflection

Inflection of idir

Person	Normal	Emphatic
1st person sing.	eadram (obsolete)	eadramsa (obsolete)
2d person sing.	eadrat (obsolete)	eadratsa (obsolete)
3d sing. masc.	idir é	idir eisean
3d sing. fem.	idir í	idir ise
1st person pl.	eadrainn	eadrainne
2d person pl.	eadraibh	eadraibhse
3d person pl.	eatarthu	eatarthusan

Scottish Gaelic

Etymology

From Middle Irish [Term?], from Old Irish etir (“at all”), originally 3rd person sg. neut. form of Old Irish eter (“between”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈitʲɪɾʲ/
• Hyphenation: idir

Adverb

idir

1. (not) at all

   Chan eil idir. ― Not at all.

References

• Edward Dwelly (1911) “idir”, in Faclair Gàidhlig gu Beurla le Dealbhan‎^[1], 10th edition, Edinburgh: Birlinn Limited, →ISBN
• MacLennan, Malcolm (1925) A Pronouncing and Etymological Dictionary of the Gaelic Language, Edinburgh: J. Grant, →OCLC
• Colin Mark (2003) “idir”, in The Gaelic-English dictionary, London: Routledge, →ISBN
• Gregory Toner, Sharon Arbuthnot, Máire Ní Mhaonaigh, Marie-Luise Theuerkauf, Dagmar Wodtko, editors (2019), “etir”, in eDIL: Electronic Dictionary of the Irish Language