ONlwSG

ròiseal m. 

MacLennan (1925) distinguishes between ròiseal m. in the sense ‘surge of a wave; an attack, assault, impetus of a boat’ and ròiseal f. in the sense ‘boasting, pomp; display of ability’; for the latter, cf. M^cAlpine’s (1832) roiseal (leg. ròiseal) f. ‘pomp, display of ability’.

[ˈɍɔːʃɑɫ̪], 

Cf. [rôsh´-shyal] (M^cAlpine 1832, s.v. roiseal (i.e. ròiseal); [ʀɔːʃɑl’] (Wentworth 2003, s.v. fire: ròiseail, Gairloch); /RɔːʃəL/ (AFB^˄).

gen. ròiseil [ˈɍɔːʃal], in the senses ‘bold exploit, foaming surge, impetus of a boat’ is considered by Henderson (1910, 216) to be ‘founded somehow on N[orse] röst [leg. rǫst] “a stream of current in the sea” ’. MacBain (1911) derives ròiseal in the sense ‘surge of a wave, the impetus of a boat, an assault, boasting’ from Scots roust (from ON rǫst), but ròiseal in the sense ‘boast’ from Scots rouse ‘to stir up, provoke; to rush; to become agitated, angry etc.’; so also MacLennan (1925).

Stewart (2004, 412), apparently misinterpreting MacLennan, derives ròiseal in the sense ‘surging (wave, enemy)’ directly from ON rǫst.

However, neither ON rǫst f. */rɔst/ ‘whirlpool or dangerous sea current’ (NO) nor Scots roust [rust], [rɔst] ‘a turbulent stretch of sea caused by a strong current in a restricted passage or by the meeting of conflicting currents’ (SND^˄) would be expected to yield SG ròiseal.

McDonald (2009, 396) notes that the usual correspondence of ON ǫ is with SG a rather than ò. In fact, ON ǫ [ɔ] would formally be expected to yield SG [ɔ], e.g. ON mǫl > SG mol [mɔ̃ɫ̪ ] ‘single beach’ (q.v.), and ON *slǫkk > SG sloc ‘pit, hollow’ (q.v.).

Meanwhile, M^cAlpine (1832) suggests that ròiseal in the sense ‘pomp, display of ability’ derives from SG rò ‘romancing’ + seal [sic] ‘sight or short glimpse’, 

?For seall ‘glance, look’, s.v. seall.

although lenition of the second element in a closed compound would be expected (whatever such a compound might mean), while Henderson (ibid.), quoting luchd nan ròiseal ’s nan long luatha ’s nam brataichean dearg is uaine (which he translates as ‘they (the company) of bold exploits and of swift vessels and of banners green and red’), 

Cf. the waulking song ‘Bheir Soraidh bhuam dha na Hearadh’ (Tobar an Dualchais ID95419, @ 3.38 mins: luchd nan ròiseal ... ’s nan long luatha ... le ’m brataichean ... gorm is uaine ...).

suggests that a derivation from SG ro- + seòl ‘big-sails’ is also possible, although lenition would also be expected, here after the intensive prefix ro- (further, see below). However, SG ròiseal and its senses may be the result of the conflation from a number of sources, both Gaelic (A 1–3) and Scots (B 1–4).

A 1. SG ro-ìseal
For SG ròiseal, Dwelly (1911) includes the sense ‘lowest or basest rabble’, 

Cf. Shaw 1780: roiseal [sic] ‘lowest, most base’; Mac Farlan 1795: roi’ iseal [sic] ‘very low’; Armstrong 1825: ròiseal ‘the lowest, most base’; HSS 1828: ròiseal (< ro-ìseal) ‘the lowest, most base’.

but this may be from SG ro-ìseal, yielding ròiseal (with stress and vowel length attracted to the first syllable), a substantival use of the intensive particle ro- + the adjective ìseal ‘low’; cf. Ir. roiseal [sic] ‘lowest, most base’ (O’Brien 1768), róiseal ‘very low, very base, humble’ (O’Reilly 1817).

A 2. SG rò-sheòl
SG ròiseal in the senses ‘topsail’ and ‘banner’ (McDonald 1972; Henderson 1910, 216) may be from SG rò-sheòl ‘extreme (i.e. topmost) sail’, yielding *ròisheol, with shortening of the final syllable through the attraction of the primarily stressed initial syllable, 

Cf. Calder 1972, 309.

yielding ròiseol (ròiseal), with delenition of sh through confusion with ròiseal from other sources: leis an èireadh am mòr-shluagh, le ’n ròisealaibh àrd (≈[An] Dughalach 1829, 124) ‘with whom the people, with their high [dat. pl.] banners, would rise’.

See also Angus Matheson (in CG VI, 119–20), who cites several other examples from literature.

A 3. SG ròisgeul
For SG ròiseal, Dwelly (1911) also gives the sense ‘novel’, citing Armstrong’s (1825) English-Gaelic section, in which Eng. novel is defined as ‘faoin-sgeul, ùr-sgeul, faoin-sgeulachd, ur-sgeulachd, sgeulachd; ruanachd, ròiseal’, where ròiseal is possibly a typesetting error for ròisgeul 

Although Armstrong in fact gives roisgeul [sic] (see below).

‘fable, romance’, cf. HSS 1828, s.v. ròisgeul: ‘a romance, or romantic tale; a boasting, swelling words’.

From SG rò ‘excess’ + sgeul ‘story’. AFB^˄ gives roisgeul after Armstrong 1825 (pers. comm. AFB’s editor Michael Bauer), but contrast ròisgeul in HSS 1828, M^cAlpine 1832, Dwelly 1911 (silently altered to roisgeul in AFB^˄), MacBain 1911, and MacLennan 1925.

B 1. Scots rouse
SG ròiseal in the senses ‘high-swelling wave or surge’ (HSS 1828) 

Cf. Dwelly 1911: ‘high-swelling wave or surge; surge of a wave’; MacLennan 1925: ‘surge of a wave’; AFB^˄: ‘swell, surge’; and Henderson’s (1910, 216) ‘foaming wave’. See also Angus Matheson (in CG VI, 119–20), who cites several examples from literature.

and ‘blazing fire’ (Wentworth 2003, s.v. fire, Gairloch) may ultimately go back to Scots rouse [ruːz] in the senses ‘heavy sea’ and ‘blazing fire’ (SND^˄, s.v. rouse ¹v, n). SG ròiseal itself acquires an intensive function, e.g. ròiseal teine ‘a big, blazing fire’ (Dwelly 1911; AFB^˄: ‘blazing fire’), ròiseal mór teine (Angus Matheson in CG VI, 119–20: Applecross (and who also cites examples from literature)), ròiseal solais ‘a fine bright light or display of light’ (Dwelly 1911; AFB^˄: ‘a blazing light’). For ròiseal itself, cf. the extended sense ‘feast’ (Faclan bhon t-Sluagh^˄; AFB^˄: ‘a big feast’).

B 2. Scots rouse, rush and/or rash
SG ròiseal in the senses ‘assault, attack’ (HSS 1828) 

So also MacEachen 1942; Dwelly 1911; MacLennan 1925; and AFB^˄.

and ‘the force or rapidity of a ship or boat in sailing’ (ibid.) 

Cf. Dwelly 1911: ‘the force or rapidity of a vessel in motion, weigh, impetus’; MacLennan 1925: ‘impetus of a boat’; AFB^˄: ‘impetus’; and Henderson’s (1910, 216) own ‘impetus of a boat’.

may also ultimately go back to Scots rouse [ruːz] in the sense ‘hurry, bustle’, and/or rush [rʌʃ], [ruʃ] (cf. MScots rush ‘to move with speed; to charge; to move rapidly or impetuously etc.’ (DOST^˄)) or rash [raʃ] ‘to rush with violent impetus’ (SND^˄).

SG ròiseal is distinct from the adjective ruiseanta (Shaw 1780), ruiseal (Mac Farlan 1795), ruiseil (MacFarlane 1815) ‘hasty, rash, disorderly’, cf. Ir. roisiúil ‘rash’ and roiseadh in the senses ‘rush, spate’ (Ó Dónaill 1977), which may ultimately go back to Eng. rush and/or rash.

B 3. Scots rash
SG ròiseal in the sense ‘band, gang’ (AFB^˄) 

Cf. ròiseal bradach ‘thieving gang’ (ibid.), and Iain Lom’s ’s truagh gun ròiseal d’a chinneadh ’ga chòir ‘it is a pity there is not a force of his people with him’ (in MacKenzie 1964, 36–37, line 437); see also Angus Matheson (in CG VI, 119–20), who cites several other examples from literature.

may ultimately go back to Scots rash [raʃ] in the sense ‘crowd, large number, swarm’ (SND^˄).

B 4. Scots ruise
SG ròiseal in the sense ‘boast, boasting’ (Armstrong 1825) and ‘pomp, display of ability (M^cAlpine 1832) 

Cf. MacFarlane 1815: ‘boasting’; HSS 1828: ‘boast, boasting’; Dwelly 1911: ‘gasconade; boast, boasting; pomp; display of ability; pretentious fuss; le ròiseal with an ostentatious display’; MacLennan 1925: ‘boasting, pomp; display of ability’; AFB^˄: ‘boast(ing); pomp’; and Henderson’s (1910, 216) ‘bold exploit’. O’Reilly’s (1817) Ir. róiseal ‘boasting’ may be an adaptation from MacFarlane.

may ultimately go back to Scots ruise (sb.) [røs], [res], [ri:z], (vb) [rø:z], [re:z] in the sense ‘(to) boast’ (SND^˄), cf. (Shetland) †røs [rø¯s], [røs] ‘idem’ (Jakobsen 1928).

In terms of vowel length, only Scots rouse corresponds with SG ròiseal, but the Gaelic word may have also been influenced by SG rò ‘excess’ (cf. Dwelly 1911: ‘romance, gasconading’) and forms such as ròisgeul (see under A 3), perhaps also SG pròiseil ‘proud’, 

SG pròiseil (pròiseal) is from SG pròis, a normalised oblique form of *pròs ‘pride’ (cf. Ir. prós, próis), from MEng. proues (cf. Oftedal 1956, 72), + the adjectival suffix SG -ail, -eil -[al] (occasionally -al -[ɑɫ̪]).

cf. also SG ròlaisteach, q.v.; not all of the above Scots words need be involved, of course, in that some of the senses of ròiseal may be the result of semantic extension within Gaelic itself. The final of ròiseal may be an adaptation of the Scots frequentative suffix -le, as in rousle (SND^˄, s.v. rouse ¹v, n).

Although in the case of ròiseil (fn 2, above) the adaptation appears to be to the verbal noun ending -ail, -eil -[al].

Although a Scots etymon in [s], [z] would normally be expected to yield SG [s̪] in a non-palatal environment, palatalised [ʃ] might develop in Gaelic on the analogy of SG ròiseal from other sources (A 1–3).

Derivatives: For SG ròiseal, M^cAlpine (1832) and MacLennan (1925) give the variant ròisealadh, with the common verbal noun ending -adh. Otherwise, there are the derivative forms ròisealach, with the adjectival suffix -ach; 

E.g. MacFarlane 1815; Armstrong 1825; HSS 1828; M^cAlpine 1832; MacEachen 1842; and Dwelly 1911.

and ròisealachd, with the abstract noun suffix -achd.

E.g. Armstrong 1825; M^cAlpine 1832; and Dwelly 1911.