n io, m., (mer) one whose wits are confused or disordered; a muddle-headed or scatter-brained person: ni thucai nach [m]eraige `no fool understands it', Thes. ii 292.7 ( Ml. Poems ii ). ni-n-acend nach m.¤ (i.e. we are invisible to dull-witted mortals), SCC 45. ní fuiris nach meraide the unthinking will not find it out, Ériu iv 134 § 12. atraracht Moisi . . . ni pu héirge meraige, SR 3766. trí comartha meraigi [meraigthe v.l.]: slicht a chíre ina ḟolt, slicht a ḟiacal ina chuit, slicht a luirge ina diaid ` fop' (? feckless person), Triads 103. cauradmir tige meraige (i.e. the house of a man without forethought), LU 8117 = FB 9 (see context). de mnaíb ┐ maccaemaib . . . midlaigib ┐ meraigib ḟer ṅhErend, TBC-LL¹ 3827. nir meraigi migaiscid, MR 232.16 . Folld. by defining gen.: mairg is m.¤ a dana (i.e. woe to him who takes his calling lightly, said to a frivolous cleric), ZCP x 44.27 . mearaidhe .i. amadán, O'Cl. mearuighe, Eg. Gl. 274 seems = meraigthe . ? tanaise ┐ meraige `the second swarm and the "meraighe" swarm' (of bees), Laws iv 172.10 (glossed: .i. . . . in smeraige, ib. 27 , cf. 174.16 , 18 ).

As adj. io,iā.: sruth na Muaide mōire . . . meraighe meandering (?), IT iii 89 § 117 = Bruchst. i § 37 (`des . . . wilden Moy', Meyer). See smeraige.

v g.

I Intrans. loses self-control, becomes excited or perturbed: meraigim, gl. prurio (= I wanton?), Thes. ii 42.6 (reading uncertain, merbigim acc. to Nigra, RC xxiv 306 - 9 ). ro mesc, ro meraig 'masech `he grew drunk and mad by turns', Metr. Dinds. iii 412. Of sea: gur mhuidh ┐ gur mhearuigh an sáile, ITS x 168.12 .

II Trans. bewilders, leads astray: led húaisli ná meraigh mé `dazzle me not', Ériu ix 8.87 . is tús mire ros-mheraigh `the beginnings of madness have set him wandering', Content. xxv 4. do mhearaighestar uabhar a n-aigeanta, ML 75.5 .

See meraigthe and merugad.

adj io, iā. part. of meraigid. Bewildered, with mind astray : ar mo mhisge mearaighthe, Acall. (Leabh. ó Laimhsgr.) iii 110.18 . dia mbáttar mesgtha meraighthe iar n-ól ḟiona, AFM 1990.22 . mearuighthe an draoi adubhairt mad the poet who spoke thus! Content. xxv 6. atá mo chroidhe . . . mearuighthe, Psalms cxliii 4. mearuighe a dtáobh an chreidimh `reprobate concerning the faith', 2 Timothy iii 8. eidearbhtha, mearuighe ` refuse, reprobate ', Eg. Gl. 274.

n u, m., also merachad o, m. (vn. of meraigid) wandering; going astray .

(a) in lit. sense: Merugud Uilix (title of a story). merugad cleirech Coluim Chille, KMMisc. 320.10 , cf. RC ix 14. for merogod issind ócian, LU 1643 ( RC ix 452.2 ). for merugud o cach ailen . . . da chele, RC xxvi 160 § 47. doluid for merugud o Loch A. co Tech N., BColm. 70.28 . ro ḟas ceo . . . co ndechamar ar merugud, Ériu v 146.25 . imatt na sliged ana mbeith duine ar merugud, Maund. § 17. nis téig a merachad do not go astray, MacCongl. 83.16 . gapsat fordal ┐ merugad sechnoin na hoidche, Fl. Earls 62.18 . a chlaidib . . . na saíl bith for merugod `do not fear to be astray' (i.e. ownerless), RC xx 12 § 19. With obj. gen.: for merogod tige oíged wandering in search of a guest-house, BDD 27. tré mhearughadh mara sea-roaming , Keat. ii 833.

(b) fig. erring; confusion, error: ar derchaíne ar mirath ar merugud, LL 360 marg. sin. as mór an buaidredh ┐ an merughadh do cuir an diabul fúd, BCC § 223. peacach as mhór mearachadh a sinner far astray, A. Ó Dálaigh xxxvii 3. g s. cor ṡuidigset na filid muin a medón for imgabail meraigthe put the letter m in the middle of it to avoid confusion (i.e. juxtaposition of a vowel and a diphthong), Corm. p. 17 (emuin). for bailegud meraigthi, LL 167a26 = for bailiudh a mesca, RC xv 475 ( Dinds. 75 ). fíon an mhearuighthe the wine of astonishment, Psalms lx 3. ciall mearachaidh, A. Ó Dálaigh xlvii 2. pl. is mór na mesgaithi ┐ na meraighthi doberid na sluaigh ort, Comp. CC 93.27 ( Med. and Mod. Ir. Ser. iii ).

Mearughudh randaigechta bicce ┐ randaigechta moire (name of a mixed metre), IT iii 85.1 .