fear-cèile
masculine
The English word husband is translated into Gaelic as fear-cèile. Wiktionary also lists fear-pòsda.
Meaning: male partner in marriage (noun)
Ways to say it
| Gaelic | Note |
|---|---|
| fear-cèile | masculine |
| fear-pòsda | feminine |
The term is used to refer to a male partner in a marriage.
What does it mean word for word?
The term fear-cèile is a compound of the words fear (man) and cèile (partner/companion).
Is it said differently in some regions?
In some areas, the term Bodach may be used informally to refer to a husband.
Did you know?
- The word cèile in fear-cèile is the root of the popular dance known in English as a 'ceilidh'.
- In certain Highland dialects, calling a husband a bodach might be a term of endearment, even though it literally refers to an 'old man' or 'elderly fellow'.
- If you were to refer to a wife, you would use the word bean-cèile, replacing the masculine 'fear' with 'bean', which means 'woman'.
Examples in context
- Tha an fear-cèile a' obair gu cruaidh.The husband is working hard.
Example conversation
Angus and Eilidh are talking about a friend's party.
- AngusA bheil do fear-cèile a' tighinn?Is your husband coming?
- EilidhCha tigh e, tha e tric.He isn't coming, he is tired.
- AngusTha e na fear-cèile math.He is a good husband.
- EilidhTha, tha e gu dearbh.Yes, he certainly is.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “husband” translations and entries fear-cèile, fear-pòsda, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
