preverb used with various forms of a finite vb. whether simple or compound; lenites follg. consonant except, in Old Irish, when in pretonic position. (Its use as a fixed preverb in the composition of many compd. vbs. is not dealt with here). Under the accent it somet. assumes the form ra, e.g. doràla (= do-ro-la); and in O.Ir. becomes ri in the vb. dogní (pret. 3 s. dorigéni, dorigni); with léicid, re (ní relic , Ml. 23b4 , nach reilced , 49a10 ). It is often attached as enclitic to a conjunct particle: níro, náro, coro, later nír, nár, cor.

In O.Ir. when used with a compd. vb. ro orig. followed all fixed preverbs: doro-r-ban (to-ro-ben-), Ml. 62a20 , duforbad (to-fo-ben-), 92b4 ; but this rule becomes obsolete already in the O.Ir. period: do-r-airngert, Wb. 14c32 . Thurn. Hdb. §§ 520 - 3 . ZCP xii 286 .

In O.Ir. the vbs. ro-fitir (really a perf. tense, see (a) follg.), ro-cluinethar and ro-laimethar drop ro- only when preceded by another conjunct particle. For etymology and syntacti- cal uses see Zimmer, KZ xxxvi 433 ff. ; Thurneysen, KZ xxxvii 52 ff. and ZCP xii 286 ; Strachan, Trans. Phil. Soc. 1896, 77 ff. ; 1897, 326 ff. ; 1899, 408 ff. ; RC xxiii 201 ; M. L. Sjoestedt-Jonval, Études Celtiques iii 105 ff. , 219 ff.

Used (a) with the pret. to express a perfect. ro comalnisid- si an ro pridchissem-ni dúib, Wb. 26b6 . In mod. Ir. it is displaced by do except after a neg. or a syntactical preverb: do ghabh, nír ghabh, gach ar ghabh sé.

(b) with pres. ind. and subj. with perfective sense (generally to express an action which is completed before another takes place); also with subj. after résiu `before', acht `provided that', `if only', co `until': in nuall dongniat ho rumaith fora naimtea remib the cry they make when they have defeated their enemies , Ml. 51c9 . doberum . . . dilgud don fhoirind ronto- craidet, PH 7941 . cipe . . . ro-da-gatta, diren se whoever steals them pays a fine , Laws iv 198.18 . molid resiu ro cur- sacha, Wb. 4a2 . act ro cretea deacht, 27b15 .

(c) to express potentiality or possibility, with all forms of the vb.: ní rubai nach cruth ailiu it cannot be any other way , Wb. 7b3 . asrobair mulier `meus filius' . . . a lleith posessoris can say , Sg. 198a18 , cf. adrodarcar can be seen , 172a2 . niru rimiu . . . a ndorigenai I cannot re- count , Hy. v 41 (ruirmiu, rurimo, MSS., glossed: ni etaim a thurim, F). dororbiu-sa I shall be able to hinder , ZCP iii 246.18 (< di-roben, see Ped. ii 445 ). nert ni dernim, rith ni rordaim [= ro rethim], leim nirolṅgaim [= ro lingim], RC xxv 24 § 4 ( YBL 113b25 ). fer liath ro goin, ro gonar `knows how to deal wounds and to receive them', Fianaig. 24.16 . ni fail ro airme a n-árim, SR 788 . ro chrú[th]fem-ne i fus ind pennit bes chóir we shall be able to settle here and now , Mon. Tall. 7 . ni ruibem a n-aeininad we cannot stay together , Lism.L. 4333 . duss in ruirmemis a lín if we could count , RC xvii 143.18 . in fuigh- bed sib sén . . . ro díchuirfed na trí náimde út a hEirinn? Acall. 6231 , cf. 6234 . an tan nād rimgab could not avoid , TBC² 1549 . ni ruba fer could not strike , Ériu v 32.24 . Cf. is ann som ro citer polus ar[c]ticus there men see , Marco P. 42 .

Cf. also robo, rodbo ` it may be, perhaps ', somet. or, whether , which Pedersen, ii 287 , is inclined to regard as a pret. in sense of a potential pres.: Wb. 14c24 , 16d7 . lubair ┐ legend, rodbu forcetail no scribend, Rule of Céli Dé 55 ( LB 11b13 ). rodbu ar chairiguth ind uilc . . . rodbu ar demniguth in maith, Ériu vii 162 § 5 .

(d) somet. instead of no with impf. ind. to express reiterated action (cf. Strachan, Phil. Soc. Tr. 1899, 411 ): ro gnaithiged F. dol do dénum irnaigthi, RC xii 332 § 22 . ro caithed proinn moirsesir, 334 § 24 . conid airi sin ro chaitdis a bfleadha, Marco P. 12 . ro bheiredh an t-aingel . . . an sacrament dhó gacha domnaigh, Fl. Earls 230.22 .

(e) in optative sent. with subj.: darolgea Dia doib May God forgive it to them , Wb. 31a2 . ro béo-sa fort láim-siu isind flaith, Fél. Prol. 273 . ni torgaitha he should not defraud , Wb. 25b5 . nár thugar-sa . . . cúis ar sgartha may I give no cause for our separation , Content. xxix 37 . mac Móire . . . gur ḟóire ḟira Erenn, IGT Dec. ex. 269 .

(f) somet. with subj. in a subord. indef. clause or after cia `although': is inilliu do neoch naro faomae coibsena safer . . . not to receive confessions , Mon. Tall. 54 . is accobar lium coro indiser duib in ní, PH 1486 . cia rabthai-si oca iarraid though ye be seeking him , 1977 .

(g) instead of no in Old Irish with fut. and condit. of subst. vb., to infix an obj. pron.; and regularly with condit. of copula when no conjunct particle precedes. robad bethu dom dían chomalninn, Wb. 3b28 . epert . . . rondbiad fáilte libsi et robtis maithi for mbésasi ara chiunn 16b19 . ra-mbia dígal he shall have punishment , Wb. 27c13 . rob-bia indocbál ye shall have glory , 13d32 . ropia [= robbia] ind fochricc, 16a13 , cf. 27c12 . SR 1256 . Fél. Jan. 13 . ro-bar-bia biadh, ZCP v 501.16 . ra mbiad arcat . . . ro mbiad mór fina he should have , SC 11 . Cf. acht rom-tha rombaoi rom-bia | gach nidh dheonadh Dia dham, Ériu ix 50.29 . ro-far-cruthaigfe doridisi, PH 6617 .

(h) in late Mid. and early Mod.Ir. often in rel. construction: an t-airteagul ud ro chreidir, Luc. Fid. 301.12 . amhuil . . . ro admhaighid na criosduidhthe, 375.5 .

n m. indecl. (orig. neut.? cf. n s. ró n-ascada, Ériu iv 98.3 . ró (ón imarcaidh) m., IGT Dec. § 108.6 .

(a) an over-great amount (degree); excess, too much ; poet. word used largely as pred. with cop., common in chevilles. nocha n-epert guth bud ró, Acall. 462 (`expression that was excessive', O'Gr.). a rád ni ró, LL 159b16 . nirbo ró Conchobar i ndígal Mani C. would not be too much in vengeance for M. , TFerbe 651 . cid tu ba ri ni bo ro it were not too much (= it would be fit) that thou shouldst be king , ZCP x 47 y . targad rigi nErenn dó . . . géar ba ró, MR 130.16 . ná habair riom gurab ró `an exaggeration', Content. vi 85 . ní ró . . . a ndubhart what I said is no exaggeration , O'Bruad. ii 1 84.25 . da n-abruinn- si maith . . . aderadh an chlíar maith badh ró `the poets would speak far better', KMMisc. 364 z . is ró dom: nírba ró dó airúacra . . . it was not too much for him (beyond his power ), Hib. Min. 66.6 . ní ró damh pían d'fulang ar son righ nimhe, BNnÉ 128.2 . nírbhó ró dho dia mbadh laintighearna it would not have been beyond his deserts , FM v 1488 x . is ró lim(m): níbo ró lim dait conna tissad nech . . . riut hi Tech Midchúarda I should not deem it too much (too great an honour) for thee that none should precede thee , FB 17 . nirbo ró nó furail lim me fein do luigi foen fo for cossaibh, CCath. 5522 .

As subst., somet. with art.: ac so tuarastal Conri do c[h]lan- noibh Ir. . . . borb an ró, ZCP xiii 12.5 . ro gluaisiomar . . . ó Themraigh ger mór in ró `though it was a great strain', Duan. Finn i 6.5 . do thoirbhir Fionn, mór in ró, | d'Fíanoibh Eirionn, ii 128 § 16 . amlaid is maith ceili De | gan ni bud mó, gan ró re ré, ZCP viii 231.20 (= without more than suffices for the time being?). intí doní saint tar ró excessively , ZCP x 415.15 = BNnÉ 101.9 . With dependent gen.: m'oenurán im romra ró in my vast expanse of ocean , LU 3015 . ní ró n-ascada duit sain too great a boon , Ériu iv 98.3 . do dhall an ró sainnte sionn, A. Ó Dálaigh vi 4 . gan ró céille, Measgra Dánta 66.52 . ná bí ag tobach níos mó . . . ró tarbha ó nach tárthubair since you have not gained overmuch profit from it (?), Content. viii 12 . tug ró a bhfuinn i bhfonn na cille overgreat desire , Hackett xlii 93 . cia dīre doberar . . . in n-aīr . . . ┐ hi rrō molta [sic leg.] ZCP vii 300.21 (cf. Ériu xiii 46.17 ). dá n-abra an té théid dod mholadh . . . | . . . | . . . | ró molta ní dhiongna dhuid, PBocht p. 37 § 19 . ? ro díubraic ró n-urchair de a mighty cast , Acall. 4802 (sreo, rod v.ll.), cf. 4904 , 5810 .

(b) prosperity, good fortune : a rebradh is a ro, BB 53a6 . mor in ró . . . is leis co fír chungnas Dia, MR 40.13 = FDG 306 . ní clóen-ró `no deceitful blessing', Met. Dinds. iii 22.274 . senchas saidbir nach sóeb-ró `no spurious wealth', 128.2 , cf. 330.14 , 396.2 .