n gender doubtful. Possibly same word as 5 féth.
Of craftsman's work, smoothness, finish, polish? Cf.
faithche
.i. fēth-chaí .i. conair iarna fēthughad .i. iarna rēidhiughadh,
Corm. Y 628
. condenad a f.¤ ┐ a snass ┐ a slemnugud (of
stakes of holly = to make them even ?)
TBC-LL¹ 1410
(fethugud
St).
ní hécen f.¤ dar fudbu de,
158
(i.e. difficulties need not
be glossed over; a proverb ?). G. [h]astas faciebat fri
teora gressa ┐ ba feth in gres dédenach; dogníth ... L. soer
[na crunda] fri teora snassa ┐ ba feth [feith, Sec. Battle of
Moytura
RC xii 94.1
] in tsnas dédenach the last chip put
the finish on them (?)
Corm. Bodl. s.v. nescoit
=
Corm. Y
975
.
ni rocindsead a feth nach a lighdhath [gús anocht],
Anecd. ii 7
(of a bronze palisade = they could not give it the
finishing polish and colour ?). (etym. of nemed :)
nem-aodh
la cerda ┐ goibniu, ar issed dobeir nemhtenchus doib in
feith doberat tre aed [.i.] tre tine,
O'Mulc. 830g
.
nem-mod
la saoruib ... niamfeith, ar ised dobeir nemtenchas doib,
ind feth doniat tre nēim,
830h
(both exx. apparently mean
that a craftsman's status is determined by the finish of his
work. Cf.
dlegar do cach feth i nemhedh,
Irish Texts iv
21 § 22
).
fethgeir .i. dobheir feith ger ar in fige no fid gér
dobeir feth ar in fighe,
Laws i 152.13 Comm.
(= it makes
the wool even ?). Cf.
feith .i. faebar,
Lec. Gl. M 97
. See
also 1 féth (f.¤ fithnaisi). Used as adj. = smooth, finished (?) ;
superl.: fethim saire no fedem .i. onn `smoothest of work'
(kenning on the ash-tree or letter o)
Auraic. 5651
=
foillem,
Anecd. iii 44
; text doubtful. Compds.
¤chrann: cona
fet[h]crannaibh snasta slemnaigti `even ... shafts' (of
arrows)
CCath. 5462
.
¤snas:
féthán féths[h]nais,
MacCongl. 93.10
(see féthán and fithnais). Cf. also: go bfiodhbhacaibh féthshnoightibh smoothed or polished bows
Hugh Roe 72.8 (f. 19a)
.