n u, m. O.Ir. n s. in rect , Wb. 13d27 . g s. ind rechto , 15a34 , cf. 1d16 , 21b13 , Ml. 60b12 , 74b7 . recto, Thes. ii 247.15 ( Cambr. 38a ), Wb. 2b26 . rectto, 1d15 , 4d11 . rechta, 18c9 , 21c1 (rccta). Ml. 74b5 . Mid.Ir. rechta. n d. in da recht , Wb. 29a16 . n p. recte, 29a16 . a p. tri dub-rechtu, Thes. ii 357.5 ( Hy. vii ). In Mid.Ir. occas. treated as neut.: n s. recht n-airberta, Eg. 88 f. 21a ( O'Curry 2280 ), Alex. 851 below (perh. to be taken as d s.). Occas. written racht. reacht m. (g s. n p. -a), IGT Dec. § 95 (p. 127.14) .

(a) law , in wide sense of a collective system of prescripts, whether traditional or codified or inherent; in Glosses = Lat. lex (later superseded by dliged). reacht, dlighe, lagh, Eg. Gl. 520 . forcetul recto Dee, Thes. ii 247.15 . iar riaglaib in rechta diada, PH 4227 . rom-soír-sa rect spirto di rect pectho (gl. lex spiritus . . . a lege peccati ), Wb. 3d20 . in rect comaccobuir file i mballaib caích the law of concupiscence , 13d27 . ro taisfen filidecht ┐ brethemnas ┐ recht fer nErend olchéna, RC vi 165.2 ( LU 9777 ). is tre ḟír flathemon cach recht rán, ZCP xi 81 § 12 . recht, ┐ enech, ┐ ainim (foundations of social ordinances), Laws i 230.4 (glossed: recht, .i. flatha. Enech, .i. Feni . . . Ainim, .i. eclasa, ib. 9 ). fer rechta i n-ecosc dilsigh . . . . . . do marbhadh, iii 214.20 (i.e. killing a man who is within the protection of the law, a homo legalis, in mistake for an outlaw). elodhach rechta `an absconder from law', v 174.17 . breth rechta a legal judgement , PH 2810 . mar ar horduigheadh reacht is dlighe . . . ar Éirinn, Keat. iii 2349 .

(b) recht aicnid the law of nature (morality arising from natural instinct): tar recht ṅ-aicnid, gl. cis naturae leges, Sg. 217b16 . Used esp. of the moral law before the Mosaic legislation: recht aicnig ro bai la firu Erind [sic] co tiachtain creitme, Laws iii 26 y . ateoch huile thuicsenchu rechta aicnid, im Aibel, im Sheth, etc., Ir. Lit. 32.15 . ni aidlingcet o nachaib rechtaib nā fúiglib nā brethemnachtaib acht recht n-aicnid namma, Alex. 851 .

(c) in Glosses and earliest rel. lit. used (generally without art.) in special sense of the Mosaic law (later a qualifying gen. or adj. is usual): is he-side ro fiugrad i rrecht et adfiadar i soscelu, Wb. 18c8 . is ed ro boi hi rrecht digal cutrummae frissin peccad, Ml. 54c2 . in recht arsata Muisi, PH 487 . Gamaliél .i. sai rechta, 1649 . aos rechta (those under the Mosaic dispensation), Hib. Min. 7.206 . luid fo recht . . . Críst i callaind Enair was made subject to the law (by circumcision), Fél. Jan. 1 . do fuagradh isin tsenrecht can muic do ithe, Maund. 61 . eagluis an tsean-rachda, Eochairsg. 5 z . ro scríb [Moyse] i llébraib in rechta fáthacda, PH 5731 . ateoch huli thuicsinchu rechta fatha, im Eliam, im Eliseum, etc. the law of the prophets , Ir. Lit. 32.20 . racht faide . . . .i. diriataidh na faistine ro bi ac na faidhib anallut, Laws iii 30.23 .

Of the new dispensation or Gospel law: in da recht . . . uetus et nouum nó na tri recte .i. naturae rl, Wb. 29a16 . on dib rachtaib .i. ho phetarlaicc ┐ nufhiadnaise, PH 6783 . coinneal tóidhius teóra reachta (of Colum C.), ZCP viii 197 § 11 (as fem.). ateoch huile thuicsenchu rechta nuafiadnaise, Ir. Lit. 32.22 . scéla an rechta naeí, RC x 184.3 . seacht sacramuinti an nuai-reacht, Mac Aingil 2.8 Pref. ).

r.¤ litre the written law, scripture: racht n-aicnig ┐ racht litre (.i. tucastar Patraic leis), Laws iii 28.3 , 7 . Cf. ib. 30.31 . ateoch huili thuicsenchu rechta litre, im Moysi, etc., Ir. Lit. 32.18 (where recht. l. is used of O.T.). Similarly: doridnacht recht bérlai báin do Moyse, Ériu iv 136.7 (where bérla bán = Latin, the lang. of Scripture).

In later writers of Scripture or church law: don Choimdi[d] ni comharba | nech nā lega a recht, ACL iii 313 § 14 . a n-aghoidh reachta ┐ chreidimh eguilsi De, Fl. Earls 112.28 . éin-eglas, éun-bhaisdedh ┐ éin-réchd, Parrth. Anma 52.20 .

(d) of a particular law or ordinance : dia ro fuirmed recht Adomnáin for Góedelaib, FA 32 = r.¤ nA., LB. intí téte fo recht n-imdibi the law of circumcision , Wb. 20a12 . do rect fognama do fiur the law of service to a husband , 10b22 . So in pl.: i carnd fhind na racht is na riaghal, Ériu x 84 § 75 (: seacht, leg. reacht). sruth Tibir i rRóim na recht, ZCP viii 106 § 7 . Loosely used in chevilles: innis dúinni tré rechtaib (i.e. as is due?), Anecd. i 29 § 34 .

(e) authority, rule : Maelmorda . . . glorda a ṡét is a recht ríg. LL 30a29 . do chruas rechta ríg Ailig `sway', O'Gr. Cat. 384.7 . níor chanas . . . glór ribh acht do reacht leabhar `according to the books', Content. xxiv 23 . recht n-abaidh iar sein ro gab the authority (office) of an abbot , ZCP viii 115.6 .

(f) in abstr. sense right, lawfulness : racht .i. ceart, Lec. Gl. 116 M . recht .i. cuimsech, O'Dav. 1349 . lucht mo ríartha ba recht lais do beith accom he thought it right that I should have people to serve me (?), ZCP viii 220 § 31 . a ndernadar a daoine | re Dia dh'adhbhar egaoine | reacht lind go dtanaig astegh | ar brághaid ghill na nGaoidheal we deemed it just until it was visited upon the hostage of the G. , Irish Texts ii 105 y . ? ra recht rubad, TBC-LL¹ 1667 (`das Recht der Erstechungen', Windisch). ? fri cach racht cid fiala a flaithe though their chiefs be generous to every claim (?), ACL iii 296 § 38 .

Rare in compds.: mór a recht-blad dar rígaib `his rightful fame', Metr. Dinds. ii 48.34 . dā recht-iarla `two just rulers' ( administrators of law ?), MacCarthy 176 § 5 ( LL 128a51 ).