prep. 1 ar used as conjunction for, since, seeing that, for the reason that . In O. Ir. also air (see GOI § 168 . This spelling predominates only in Ml., ar being commoner both in Wb. and Sg.). Also ár, LU 3255 , 3257 ( SCC 5 ) (vowel perh. influenced by ór = úaire, MU2 Gloss., cf. also ór from ó + ro). Occasionally leniting ( Ml. 42c8 , Sg. 206a3 ), see GOI § 906 . Perh. substituted for earlier ol, al (see 2 ol). Cf. ar ni raibi, IT i 118.14 = ol ni rabi, LU 10718 . Also ál asbert, 10721 = al, Ériu xii 164.1 (TE2. ┐ isbert, v.l.). Wind., IT i Wtb . compares olchena archena.

`Introduces principal causal clauses or periods', GOI § 906 or dependent negative: ba samalta re Meidb na beth penning a selba lé. arna baí tarb a chomméit lé fora búaib 'it seemed to Medb as if she had not a penny of possessions since she had not a bull as great as that among her kine' LL ii 7624 , Celtica ix 122 . radis friss ara tísed uathad leis … ár nach crích ł ferand baí aice, 'he told him to come only with a small number … for he had neither land nor domain' LL ii 8382 , Celtica ix 122 . atraachtatar Ulaid co barbarda ara n-armaib. ár nar lam Sencha érgi eturru 'the Ulstermen rose furiously to seize their arms since Sencha did not dare to rise among them' LL v 34699 , Celtica ix 122 . The clause so introduced is usually an explanation or amplification of the circumstances attending a foregoing statement or question, e.g. co farcbad leesi a liasom . . . Ar adrubairtseom is isind liic robui a anim a mathar, Anecd. i 10.13 ( SCano 309 ). cid ane . . . meic na mbachlach . . . do chomram cucam ? Ar ba mese sacart oc baistiud ind anma sin fora athair, Sc.M² 12 . With absol. and deut. form of verbs: airataat iltintudai leu cene, Ml. 3a14 . airis ho athir because it is from the father, 17c7 . air danimmart greim á aite, 14b14 . ar ba doig lais, PH 293 . ? ársit cara `since thou art a friend', Metr. Dinds. iv 362.175 (órsad, v.l.). Folld. by proclitic: arciaricc, Wb. 2a5 . ar cia bésiu, BColm. 106.6 . ar diambe . . . `for if he be', Mon. Tall. 153.8 . ar mani thuaslaicea isind chaisc, 132.16 . ar nifarnic, Wb. 2a21 . arníasse nóib disuidib, 3d28 . air ni foircnea, Ml. 102a15 . ar ní hinfíadnaisi, Críth G. 35 . is hí tucait in carpait do breith cu Fíacc, ar notéighed . . ., ZCP viii 106.28 . Note also: ar céin con-oadar . . . nicon tessēba maith airi, ZCP xi 81 § 9 . In asyntactic constructions where a nominative precedes the main clause: air an oen ar fichit it trisecht són, Ml. 2d2 . arlín inna laithe ised immefolngi éccintigi dund aimsir for it is the number of days which causes, 17d6 . arincorp . . . frissaroscarsom . . . nifil taidchur do dochum inchoirpsin, Wb. 3a14 . ár cech ben ro charastar C.C. ba clóen, etc., LU 3257 ( SCC 5 ). ar cid bās dobera for cethra is coitchend dōib, ZCP viii 104.5 . Note also: air cia salmscribdid conicfed són `for what psalmist could have done that?' Ml. 14a6 . With prec. causal conjunction: daig ar-dot-roset fir hErend for the men of Ireland will come to thee, TBC-LL¹ 1495 . fó bith ar is, LU 3446 ( SCC 22 ). In a loose connective sense: ar do-loga 'further, let it forgive' Ériu xl 27 . ar is sí trisfintiu innso 'this is one of the three kindred-rights' Peritia iv 313 (BB 10) . air [is] i suidiu ro suidiged gelfine ┐ derbfine, iarfine ┐ indfine 'here gelfine, derbfine, iarfine, and indfine … has been established' ibid. (BB 11) . ar is sí breth ba(i)rr-bunaid 'this is the judgement of 'branches-and-trunk'' ibid. 316 (BB 12) .

n ā, f. (see O'Rahilly Ériu xiii 146 - 8 ; Bergin xiv 30 n. ; Pedersen Vgl. Gr. ii 467 , LEIA C-293-94 ). Also cumt-, cumd-, cunnt-, con(n)t-. Always with -n- in Wb., -m- in Ml. and Sg., and in all three with variation betw. -t- and -d-. Later n s. -airt. g s. cunntaberta, AU iii 496.11 .

(a) doubt, uncertainty, perplexity : masuchundubart, Wb. 4d28 . cen chuntubarta without doubts, 23c26 . in cumtubairt gl. ambiguum, Ml. 27c10 . dogní doidgni ┐ chumdubairt . . . issí inchumtubart ┐ indoidgne, 37a10 . cid dialeícid cundubairt fordrecht uáib de resurrectione , Wb. 13b12 . cenchuntubarta gl. sine . . . hessitationibus, 23c26 . ni cumtubhart (chev.), Blathm. 212 . niba cumtabairt, LU 9537 . ma derb . . . no ma cunntabairt, Laws i 94.21 Comm. cundtabairt eter dechnaid ┐ randaigecht mbic, IT iii 86.1 . faind-ires ┐ cunntabairt Tomais, PH 6737 . isin cumhtabuirt sin, Laws i 280.6 Comm. iar ṅdíchur . . . cecha cunntabarta, PH 6741 . anches quasi anceps .i. cuntabairt, O'Mulc. 45 . dá chor ó chonntaphairt = ambiguity, RSClára 81a .

With follg. indirect question or noun clause: nifil chumtubairt ata nanmman sidi `there is no doubt that these are nouns', Sg. 154b2 . bacumdubart in étaste fanaic `it was doubtful whether . . .', Ml. 43d20 . is cumtubart cia he, 46c19 . inchumtabart ón inícfider fanacc, 96b11 . is cumtubart ced dogní angenitiu gl. haec ancipitis genitiui, Sg. 99a2 . is cunntabairt cia o'r cindistar, Laws v 454.1 Comm. is cuntabair[t] in térnatar na oegaire, LL 36610 . as chumtabairt esergi dona náedenaib, LU 2539 .

In phrases. cen c.¤ certain(ly), with certainty: creid can cunntabairt, Celtica ii 121.14 . dar cend . . . / . . . madma gan contabhairt a decisive victory, Fen. 194.20 . as í gan chonntabhairt, Parrth. Anma 1100 . With copula: is c.¤ la (fri) x x is in doubt: incuntubart lib inso gl. an ignoratis?, Wb. 3c3 . indí . . . lasinrubu chumtabart indabiad torbae fa naic, Ml. 102d4 . is cundubart leu indat bii inna corpaib gl. qui . . . se uiuere nesciunt, ZCP vii 482.12 (Enchir. Aug.). nicumdabairt fricirine, Hib. Min. 6.187 . ni cunntabairt lind . . . co n-id . . . , PH 3188 . Cf. aní itáa cuntubart libsi .i. esséirge, Wb. 13a35 . Attá c.¤ for x there is doubt concerning x: ní raibh contabhairt ar an dtrócaire, ZCP iv 448.31 . menic bis conntabairt for aisneis na faithe, CCath. 4213 . With prep. I N-: do beith i cúnntabairt umam, PH 1800 . ta i n-a chunntabairt cia da nderna it is doubtful, Smaointe B. Chr. 1524 . ná raib cách 'n-a chumtabairt (c.¤, v.l.), Metr. Dinds. iii 66.8 . ionnsa an chealg i gcontabhairt that the treachery be in doubt, Aithd. D. 34.3 . ro bhui in cath sin oc (leg. a?) cuntabairt gan brissed, ZCP xxx 135.43 . cuirid i c.¤ doubts : méala a char i gcontabhairt, Aithd. D. 32.15 . fear nár chuir a gcunntabhairt / nach mair . . . , O'R. Poems 1109 . dá cuired nech a cuntabairt, O'Gr. Cat. 247.31 . nach cuirthe i gconntabhairt go . . . , Keat. ii 240 . Also cuirid cuntabairt i n-: cibé chuireas conntabhairt i bPurgadóir = qui de Purgatorio dubitat, Keat. ii 5876 . conntabhairt do chur a n-éunphonc, Parrth. Anma 1132 . contabhairt do chur 'na chreidiomh, Desid. 4656 . Note also: ná cuireadh . . . conntabhairt . . . ort, Desid. 4746 . bith cunntaphuirt agut asi[n] nduine aithenus tu be mistrustful, Ériu v 136 § 93 .

(b) danger, peril : gúas, baoghal, cunntabhairt, Eg. Gl. 382 . ? robói . . . isin chuntabairt sin céin robo beō `doubtful state', Death-tales of the Ulster heroes 8.10 . do-berim mo anmain tara ceand a cumdtabairt, Grail 2080 . do chor a gconāich a gconntabairt `imperil their success', Fl. Earls 10.29 . ? ar eagla conntabhairte an bhreitheamhnais, TSh. 1151 `the doubtful nature or result', Gloss. tre iomad docra, contabharta = daungers, RSClára 87b . cin cuntabairt n-anma, Grail 1290 . cundtabhart báidhthe, Mac Aingil 833 . Fl. Earls 76.11 . a contabairt báis, O'Gr. Cat. 111.19 . a gconntabhairt a bheathadh, Rial. S.F. 151 .