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Etymological Dictionary
biorach, a heifer, colt, Ir. biorach, cow-calf:
bioras, water-lily; same origin as biolar, q.v.
biorg, gush, twitch, tingle; from the roots of biolar (bior‑) and bior.
biorraid, a helmet, cap, Ir. birreud, cap; from Eng. biretta, from Late Lat. birretum.
biorsadh, a keen impatience: “goading”; from bior.
biorsamaid, a balance; from Sc. bismar, Norse bismari.
bior-snaois, bowsprit of a sailing boat (N. Lochaber), forepart of vessel:
biota, a churn, vessel; from Norse bytta, a pail, tub, Ag. S. bytt, Latin buttis, Eng. butt.
biotailt, victuals, E. Ir. bitáill, W. bitel, M. Br. bitaill; from O. Fr. vitaille, from Lat. victualia. Eng. victuals is from the French.
birlinn, a galley, bark, M. Ir. beirling; formed from the Norse byrðingr, a ship of burthen, from byrðr, burden, vb. bera, Eng. bear. The Sc. bierling, birlinn is from the Gaelic. Cf. feòirlig=fjórðungr.
birtich, stir up; from bior, goad.
biseach, luck; see piseach.
bith, the world, existence, Ir., O. Ir. bith, W. byd, Br. bed, Gaul. bitu‑, *bitu‑s; root bi, bei, live, I. E. ꬶei, ꬶi, whence Lat. vivo, Eng. be, etc. Hence beatha, beò, biadh, q.v.
bith, being (inf. of bì, be), Ir., E. Ir. beith, O. Ir. buith. The O. Ir. is from the root bhu (Eng. be, Lat. fui) = *buti‑s, Gr. φύσις. The forms bith and beith, if derived from bhu, have been influenced by bith, world, existence; but it is possible that they are of the same root ꬶi as bith. Stokes, in his treatise on the Neo-Celtic Verb Substantive, takes bith and beith from the root ga, go, Gr. βάσις (Eng. base), a root to which he still refers the O. Ir. aorist bá, fui (see bu).
bìth, resin, gum, birdlime, Ir. bigh, O. Ir. bí, pix, adj. bíde, *geis‑, a longer form of gis‑, the root of giuthas, fir (Schräder). Otherwise we must regard it as borrowed from Lat. pix, picis, whence W. pyg, Eng. pitch, against which b and í (i long) militate.
bìth, quiet (Arm.):
bith‑, prefix denoting "ever", Ir., O. Ir. bith‑, W. byth‑; from bith, world.
biùc, difficult utterance:
biùthaidh, foe, Ir. bíodhbha, E. Ir., O. Ir. bidbe, bidbid (gen.), culprit, enemy.
biùthas, fame, biùthaidh, hero; see fiù, fiùbhaidh.
