Focal an Lae #284 The Word of the Day in Irish

Word: staighre (STY-ruh) [stair′ə]

Meaning: staighre = stairs, stairway

Usage:

Tá sí thuas an staighre. (TAW shee HOO-uhs uh STY-ruh) [taː s′iː huːəs ə stair′ə] = She is upstairs.

= She is upstairs. Tá an staighre an-chúng. (TAW uhn STY-ruh AHN-KHOONG) [taː ən stair′ə anxuːŋ] = The stairway is very narrow.

= The stairway is very narrow. staighre beo (... BYOH) [... b′oː] = escalator (lit., living stairs)

: Classical Irish “staighre” comes from Middle English “staeire”, from Old English “staēgr” (stair, step), which comes from Indo-European *stoigh-ri-, the suffixed o-grade of the root *steigh- (to stride, step, rise). English “stair” is thus an exact cognate.

Scottish Gaelic: staidhre