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Tha mi a’ dol a thòiseachadh na Litreach seo le seanfhacal. Cha tuit caoran à cliabh falamh. A small peat will not fall from an empty creel. Gu gnàthasach, tha e a’ ciallachadh ‘don’t expect wise words from an empty head’. Cha tig às a’ phoit ach an toit a bhios innte. Cha tuit caoran à cliabh falamh.

            Tha am facal caoran car inntinneach. Tha e a’ tighinn à caor no caoir a tha a’ ciallachadh rudeigin às an tig solas no teas, no an dà chuid – coltach ri èibhleag ann an teine. ʼS e caoran pìos mòine a tha a’ deàlradh ann an teine. Ach tha am facal a’ seasamh cuideachd airson dearc dearg coltach ris an fheadhainn a chithear air craobh-chaorainn. Tuigidh sibh carson a tha sinn a’ gabhail ‘caorann’ air a’ chraoibh sin.

            Tha tòrr fhaclan anns na faclairean co-cheangailte ri caor no caoir, agus tha solas no deàlradh co-cheangailte riutha ann an dòigh air choreigin. Tha caoir-bianag a’ ciallachadh ‘phosphorescence in the sea’. Tha caoir-sholas a’ ciallachadh ‘gleaming light’. Tha caoir-gheal a’ ciallachadh ‘white crest of waves in a gale’; mar bhuadhair, tha caoir-gheal cuideachd a’ ciallachadh ‘white hot’ no ‘incandescent’. Caoir-gheal. Agus tha ³¦²¹´Ç°ù²¹²Ô-è¾±²õ²µ a’ ciallachadh ‘small shoal of fish’. Tha sin furasta a thuigsinn, nach eil? Bidh èisg a’ deàlradh ann an solas na grèine nuair a tha iad a’ gluasad ann an sgaoth.

            Leis gun robh daoine a’ cleachdadh an fhacail caor no caoran ann an co-cheangail ri measan na craoibhe-caorainn, tha am facal a-nise a’ seasamh airson ‘dearc’ no berry ann am Beurla, eadhon ged nach bitheadh e dearg. Gu tric tha e a’ nochdadh san dreach caora. Mar eisimpleir caora-dhromain ‘elderberry’, caora-staoin ‘juniper berry’, caora-caothaich ‘tutsan’ agus caora-feannaig no caora-fithich ‘crowberry’. Agus chuala mi ann an Leòdhas agus àite no dhà eile caora-mhitheig no caora-mhitheag airson ‘blaeberry’.

            Tha am facal caorachan ann an ainmean-àite Gàidhlig, mar eisimpleir ann an Sgùrr a’ Chaorachain air a’ Chomraich ann an Siorrachd Rois. Tha sin a’ ciallachadh ‘the peak of the gleaming torrent’. Nuair a tha uisge a’ sruthadh far beinn air latha dorch, tha na sruthan car coltach ri solais oir tha iad cho bàn. Solas – caor.

            Gu tuath air a’ Chomraich tha Coire Chaorachain agus Gleann Chaorachain ann an sgìre an Locha Bhig. Tha mi an dùil gur e an aon chiall a th’ orra. Agus gu sear air a’ Chomraich anns na beanntan deas air Achadh nan Seileach, tha Toll a’ Chaorachain ‘the deep corrie of the gleaming torrent’. Toll a’ Chaorachain.

            Mu dheireadh, seo agaibh abairt car inntinneach a lorg mi anns an Fhaclair Bheag air an eadar-lìon – agus goireas fìor-mhath a th’ ann! Ràinig e aois a’ chaorain. He has reached the age of a little peat. Ràinig e aois a’ chaorain.

            Dè fon ghrèin a tha sin a’ ciallachadh?! Uill, tha e a’ tighinn bho sheann chleachdadh aig a’ Bhliadhna Ùir, nuair a chuireadh pàrant caoran a-steach a stocainn aig neach òg a bha faisg air tighinn gu ìre. Tha e a’ ciallachadh ‘he’s grown up now, he’s no longer a child’. Ràinig e aois a’ chaorain.

            Tha mi an dòchas gun do chòrd ar turas timcheall caor is caoran ribh. Mar sin leibh an-dràsta.

Faclan na Litreach: èibhleag: blazing coal, ember; sgìre an Locha Bhig: the area of Little Loch Broom (W. Ross); ciall: meaning.

Abairtean na Litreach: rudeigin às an tig solas no teas, no an dà chuid: something from which light or heat, or both, comes; pìos mòine a tha a’ deàlradh ann an teine: a piece of peat that shines in a fire; a’ seasamh cuideachd airson dearc dearg coltach ris an fheadhainn a chithear air craobh-chaorainn: also stands for a red berry like those seen on a rowan tree; co-cheangailte riutha ann an dòigh air choreigin: linked to them in some way or another; bidh èisg a’ deàlradh ann an solas na grèine nuair a tha iad a’ gluasad ann an sgaoth: fish shine in sunlight when they are moving in a shoal; eadhon ged nach bitheadh e dearg: even if it isn’t red; nuair a tha uisge a’ sruthadh far beinn air latha dorch: when water is streaming off a mountain on a dark day; tha na sruthan car coltach ri solais air a’ bheinn: the streams are quite like lights on the mountain; gu sear air a’ Chomraich anns na beanntan deas air Achadh nan Seileach: east of Applecross in the mountains south of Achnashellach; goireas fìor-mhath a th’ ann: [it’s] an excellent resource; bho sheann chleachdadh aig a’ Bhliadhna Ùir: from an old practice at New Year; nuair a chuireadh pàrant caoran a-steach a stocainn aig neach òg a bha faisg air tighinn gu ìre: when a parent would put a small peat in the stocking of a young person who was approaching maturity; tha mi an dòchas gun do chòrd ar turas timcheall X: I hope you enjoyed our journey around X.

Puing-chànain na Litreach: Ràinig e aois a’ chaorain. He has reached the age of a little peat. This saying apparently comes from an old practice among the Gaels to put a peat in the New Year stocking of a teenager who has almost reached adulthood. If you have reached aois a’ chaorain, you are nearly an adult.

Seanfhaclan na Litreach: Cha tuit caoran à cliabh falamh: a small peat will not fall from an empty creel. Cha tig às a’ phoit ach an toit a bhios innte: nothing more will come from the pot other than the vapour that’s in it.