Gaelicism

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A linguistic feature or expression derived from the Gaelic language used in another language ; a cultural or regional idiom reflecting Gaelic influence ; an instance of Gaelic language characteristics appearing outside its original linguistic context
2. A phrase, word, or syntax originating from Gaelic and incorporated into another language ; a distinct use of Gaelic linguistic elements shaping speech or writing ; a trace of Gaelic language structure or vocabulary transferred to a different linguistic environment
3. An element of speech or writing that shows the impact of Gaelic language conventions ; a borrow or adaptation from Gaelic found in other languages ; a representation of Gaelic language traits within non-Gaelic communication forms

Etymology: Gaelicism is a plain English coinage: "Gaelic" with the suffix "-ism," which in English turns a language name into a word for a feature of that language. The first recorded use dates to 1815, so the term is only about two centuries old, even though the phenomena it names are far older. Its base, "Gael," comes from Old Irish "Goídel," the name of the people who spoke the language, and that name traces back through Proto-Brythonic "Guɨðel" to the Proto-Celtic root behind "weidelos," a word that the source links to the Proto-Indo-European root for "to see" or "to know." The suffix carries the classical history. Its ancestor ran through Ancient Greek "-ismos," a noun-forming ending used to name actions, conditions or practices, and it passed into Latin and then into English. Because English speakers borrowed "-ism" so widely, it could be attached to almost any national or language name, which is how "Gaelicism" was built on the same pattern as older words for characteristic expressions of a language.

Synonyms: gaelic expression, gaelic phrase, gaelic idiom