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Tha mi cinnteach gu bheil sibh eòlach air an fhacal cathair. Seo na chanas am faclair Brìgh nam Facal: Cathair: Suidheachan, mar as trice le cùl; sèithear.

Thathar a’ smaoineachadh gun tàinig am facal cathair a-steach don Ghàidhlig bhon Laidinn cathedra. Agus fhuair na Ròmanaich am facal sin roimhe bho na seann Ghreugaich. Tha am faclair Laidinn agam ag innse seo dhomh: Cathedra: armchair, sedan chair, teacher’s chair. Thàinig dà fhacal chumanta a-steach don Bheurla bhon dearbh fhreumh Laidinn – chair agus cathedral.

Tha faclair Dwelly ag innse seo dhuinn: Cathair: chair, seat, bench, throne. Airson dèanamh soilleir gu bheil sinn a’ bruidhinn mu throne, seach cathair air choreigin eile, canaidh sinn °ùì²µ³ó-³¦³ó²¹³Ù³ó²¹¾±°ù oir bidh rìgh na shuidhe oirre aig amannan. Rìgh-chathair. 

Tha ciall eile air cathair, ge-tà. Ann am Brìgh nam Facal, seo e: Cathair: baile glè mhòr, nas cudromaiche na ²ú²¹¾±±ô±ð-³¾Ã²°ù. No, ann am faclair Dwelly – town, city, fortified city. Thug Alasdair MacBheathain sùil air cathair anns an fhaclair aige ‘An Etymological Dictionary of the Gaelic Language’. Ghabh e ris gun tàinig cathair bho cathedra nuair a tha e a’ ciallachadh ‘chair, seat’. Ach bha e dhen bheachd gu bheil a’ chiall eile a’ ceangal an fhacail ri castrum ann an Laidinn, agus caer ann an Cuimris. Chan eil a h-uile duine – ann an Alba no anns a’ Chuimrigh – a’ dol le sin.

Cha bu chòir a bhith na iongnadh gu bheil ceangal ann eadar cathair agus ²ú²¹¾±±ô±ð-³¾Ã²°ù. Bha cathair a’ seasamh airson cathedra – a’ chathair mhòr thogte anns am biodh easbaig na shuidhe. Agus, ann an cuid de dhùthchannan, ann an làithean tràtha na h-Eaglaise, b’ e ‘²ú²¹¾±±ô±ð-³¾Ã²°ù’ no city baile anns an robh eaglais aig easbaig. Canaidh sinn cathedral ri eaglais aig easbaig ann am Beurla. Agus dè a’ Ghàidhlig a th’ air cathedral? Tha – cathair-eaglais.

Mar sin, tha cathair leatha fhèin a’ ciallachadh ‘city’ cuideachd. Cathair no cathair-bhaile. Airson ‘the city centre’, canaidh sinn meadhan a’ bhaile, meadhan a’ chathair-bhaile no meadhan na cathrach.

Nise, tha ciall eile air cathair agus chithear sin air mapaichean. Tha Dwelly ga aithris mar ‘knoll, hillock, fairy-knoll’. Saoilidh mi gu bheil e co-cheangailte ri sluagh no gaisgeach – àite daingeann anns am biodh iadsan no esan a’ fuireach. 

Tha am facal cadair no cader ann an Cuimris ag obair anns an aon dòigh. Tha e a’ ciallachadh ‘chair’ ach cuideachd ‘stronghold, fort or mountain shaped like a chair’. Tha beinn ainmeil anns a’ Chuimrigh air a bheil Cader Idris. Tha sin a’ ciallachadh Cathair Idris. B’ e Idris an »åà°ù²Ô²¹ cuid famhair ann am beul-aithris no prionnsa Cuimreach anns na meadhan-aoisean – Idris ap Gwyddno. 

A bheil am facal cathair a’ nochdadh ann an co-cheangal ri cnuic no beanntan ann an ainmean-àite Gàidhlig mar a tha sa Chuimrigh? Uill, tha – agus bheir sinn sùil orra an-ath-sheachdain.

Faclan na Litreach: Alasdair MacBheathain: Alexander MacBain; làithean tràtha; early days; sluagh: host, group of people; daingeann: fortified; Cuimris: Welsh language.

Abairtean na Litreach: gun tàinig am facal a-steach don Ghàidhlig bhon Laidinn: that the word came into Gaelic from the Latin; fhuair na Ròmanaich am facal sin roimhe bho na seann Ghreugaich: the Romans got that word previously from the Ancient Greeks; thàinig dà fhacal chumanta a-steach don Bheurla bhon dearbh fhreumh Laidinn: two common words came into the English language from the very same Latin root; airson dèanamh soilleir gu bheil sinn a’ bruidhinn mu: to make clear that we are speaking about; seach cathair air choreigin eile: rather than some other chair; bha e dhen bheachd gu bheil a’ chiall eile a’ ceangal an fhacail ri: he reckoned that the other meaning links the word to; cha bu chòir a bhith na iongnadh gu bheil: it shouldn’t be a surprise that; a’ chathair mhòr thogte anns am biodh easbaig na shuidhe: the large raised chair in which a bishop would sit; chithear sin air mapaichean: that can be seen on maps; tha beinn ainmeil anns a’ Chuimrigh air a bheil X: there is a famous mountain in Wales called X; a bheil am facal cathair a’ nochdadh ann an co-cheangal ri cnuic no beanntan ann an ainmean-àite Gàidhlig?: does the word cathair appear [is it appearing] in connection with hills of mountains in Gaelic place names?

Puing-chànain na Litreach: B’ e Idris an »åà°ù²Ô²¹ cuid famhair ann am beul-aithris no prionnsa Cuimreach anns na meadhan-aoisean: Idris was either a giant in oral tradition or a Welsh prince in the middle ages. Although »åà°ù²Ô²¹ means ‘second’ in a series, it is also used idiomatically to indicate one of a pair (as in air an »åà°ù²Ô²¹ làimh ‘one the one hand’). Thus, it can be used for a choice of one out of two as in bidh an »åà°ù²Ô²¹ cuid Seumas no a bhràthair ann ‘either James or his brother will be there’.

Gnàthas-cainnt na Litreach: Chan eil a h-uile duine a’ dol le sin: not everybody agrees with that.