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Published 01/10/24
adhastar m. [ˈə-əs̪t̪əɾ], gen. adhastair [ˈə-əs̪t̪əɾʲ], ‘horse’s halter’. Ó Muirithe (2010) lists (EG) aḋastar and (Ir.) adhastar ‘halter’ as containing ON hestr m. ‘horse’, based on an MS gloss, which he cites under (EG) est: aḋastar .i. comṡuiḋiugh[uḋ] o ilrannaiḃ; fil ann .i. adh ⁊ est ⁊ or .i. adh doni iss aḋus, est .i. ech ⁊ or .i. mogg .i. comaḋ si in mong
MS moing.
in e[i]ch seachus im a cend (‘i.e. a compound of many parts is therein, viz adh and est and or, viz adh from aḋus [“fit”], est [“horse”], and or [“mane”], viz it is the mane of the horse that passes round his head’) (in H.3.18
= Trinity College Dublin MS 1337 (not MS 137 as in Ó Muirithe 2010).
, p. 64 a (Meyer 1890, 493–94)).
For a further etymological gloss, see Ancient Laws of Ireland I, 138–39.
For Ir. adhastar,
Which occurs in the Irish surname Mac an Adhastair, Eng. Nestor (see MacLysaght 2017, 235: Mac an Aghastair).
cf. Mx eistyr and SG adhastar (sometimes spelt aghastar) m., the last recorded in Killin, Kingussie and Glenurquhart ([ɤəst̪ər]) in Faclan bhon t-Sluagh˄, cf. /ɤ.əsdər/ (AFB˄); cf. W eddyster
Not eddestl as in MacBain 1896.
‘horse, steed, colt’ < Brittonic *adastri̯o- (GPC˄). SG adhastar no doubt goes back to Early Gaelic (MacBain 1896 and MacLennan 1925) and there seems to be no reason for a Scandinavian provenance (Vendryes 1996). While Meyer’s contention that EG aḋastar contains a loan from ON hestr is insupportable, ON hestr (rather hest acc.) does appear to have yielded EG est (eDIL˄; Marstrander 1915a, 92). While ON hestr does not seem to have been borrowed into Scottish Gaelic, the word does occur in borrowed place-names, e.g. SG (Lewis) Theastabhal < ON *Hestafjall (Cox 2002a, 380), with gen. pl. of hestr.