Matheson Collection > Gaelic grammar, containing the parts of speech and the general principles of phonology and etymology, with a chapter on proper and place names

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hence
ceutach elegant, becoming, Ir. ceudfadhach § 184, 114
ceud-bhean f. wife (with-woman), e.g.
B'i coimeas mo cheud-mhna Reul na maidne — The morning
star was the likeness of my wife :■ — D.Ban 200, 55
'S oil learn càradh do cheud-mhna- — / am grieved at the
plight of thy wife :— ib. 140, 149
cf. M.G. cet-munter f., L. conjux m.f. husband or wife
§ 144. III.— CONJUNCTIONAL PREVERBS OR PROCLÌTICsf*
Proclitic particles precede certain tenses of the verb § 7, III.
Prochtic particles are not themselves stressed, but they cause
the stress of the verb to be raised to the syllable immediately
following the proclitic particle, e.g. in the irregular verbs which
drop the preverb in the 3 s. pres. -chi (for atchi), -gheibh (for
fogheibh) § 155, 8, under the influence of the prochtic particles,
the preverb is restored :
gu'm (O.G. atchi) f-aic, gu'm (O.G. fogheibh) faigh.
Proclitics are used in independent and dependent narration, but
in the latter they become conjunctions : § 155, 8
I. Independent Proclitics.
1. Interrogative an, (am) : neg. nach
2. Negative na, cha, ni not
II. Dependent Proclitics.
1. Unconditional, gu'n that : neg. nach that — not
2. Conditional, ge though, ma if (§ 145, 3), mur if not,
na'n if, o'n since
I. — Independent Proclitics.
1. An, am (before gutturals and labials), ni, ni not, old I.G. form
-ne, is appended to an (O.G. in) the interrogative particle,
W. à (non-leniting) . an fused with -ne (of which the e
was lost early) is the origin of the present interrogative,
which eclipses the tenues, puts the question without bias,
and has itself an interrogative meaning :
An tèid (pronounced deid) thu learn —
Wilt thou go with me ? — An t-Òran. 29