Focal an Lae #7
The Word of the Day in Irish
Word: rua (ROO-uh)
Meaning: rua = reddish, red-haired, rust-coloured
Usage: fear rua = a red-haired man
- capall rua = a chesnut horse
- Máire Rua = Red-haired Mary
- pingin rua = a copper penny
- Níl pingin rua aige. = He hasn’t got a red cent.
History: Rua comes from Old Irish “rúad”, which harks back to the
Indo-European root *reudh- (red, ruddy). Forms in the other Celtic
languages are Scots Gaelic “ruadh”, Manx Gaelic “ruy”, Welsh “rhudd”,
and Breton “ruz”. English cognates include “red”, “ruddy”, “rouge” and
“rust”.