tràill
/t̪ʰɾai̯ʎ/feminine, masculine
The Gaelic word for slave is tràill.
The word tràill is a noun used to refer to a person owned by another.
Meaning: person owned by another (noun)
How does it change in a sentence?
The term tràill can be used for both masculine and feminine subjects. For the related term seirbhíseach, the plural form is seirbhísigh.
How do you pronounce it?
/t̪ʰɾai̯ʎ/
Did you know?
- The Gaelic word tràill is a cognate of the English word 'thrall'. While 'thrall' is rare in modern English, it survives in the phrase 'to be in thrall to someone', meaning to be under their spell or power.
- The term tràill is linguistically distinct from seirbhíseach, which denotes a servant. In historical contexts, a seirbhíseach had legal rights and protections that a tràill did not possess.
Examples in context
- Tá staidéar déanta agam ar na seirbhísigh i stair na hÉireann.I have studied the slaves in the history of Ireland.
Example conversation
Isla and Finlay are discussing a history book.
- IslaSeall air an dealbh den tràill seo.Look at the picture of this slave.
- FinlayCiamar a bha an t-eachdraidh cho cruaidh?How was history so harsh?
- IslaBha an t-saoghal eadarluath an tìde sin.The world was unfair at that time.
- FinlayTha e duilich a chluinn, Isla.It is sad to hear, Isla.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “slave” translations and entries tràill, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries tràill, CC BY-SA 4.0.
