crìoch
/kʰɾʲiəx/
The Gaelic word for end is crìoch. It is used for something being finished, as in coming to an end.
crìoch is the end of something. To say that something ended, Gaelic often says it came to an end with gu crìch, as in thàinig e gu crìch. The related crìochadh refers to the act or process of finishing.
Meaning: intransitive: be finished, be terminated (verb)
How does it change in a sentence?
crìoch changes its form after some prepositions. After gu, meaning to, it becomes crìch, so to an end is gu crìch.
How do you pronounce it?
crìoch is pronounced /kʰɾʲiəx/. It ends in the throaty ch sound heard in Scottish loch.
Did you know?
- The concept of 'end' in Gaelic is closely linked to geography, as crìoch is still used to describe a 'boundary' or 'border' between territories.
- The word crìoch is a direct relative of the Irish word críoch and the Manx word creeagh.
Examples in context
- thàinig e gu crìchIt came to an endthàinig e gu crìch means it came to an end, with crìch as the changed form after gu.
- Thig crìoch air an t-saoghal ach mairidh gaol is ceòl.The world will come to an end, but love and music will endure.Here Thig crìoch means an end will come, said of the world.
- Bha mi a' leughadh an nobhail gu deireadh.I was reading the novel until the end.
Example conversation
Catriona and Angus are talking about a long movie.
- CatrionaA bheil am film a' tighinn gu crìoch?Is the movie coming to an end?
- AngusTha, tha e a' tighinn gu crìoch a-nis.Yes, it is ending now.
- CatrionaBha e gu math fada, a Angus.It was very long, Angus.
- AngusTha mi gluaisach airson crìoch a chur air.I am eager to bring it to an end.
Sources
- Pronunciation: Wiktionary entry crìoch, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries crìoch, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Wiktionary CC BY-SA 4.0.
