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(9w, omna^ the oak (O'Reilly). *' Cormac, King of Cashel, Ire- 

 land, A.D. 903, says of omna that it equals fuamna^ sounds, or 

 noises, because the winds resound when the branches of the 

 oak resist its passage. According to Varro, it is from os, mouth, 

 and men^ mind, thinking — that is, telling out what one thinks is 

 likely to come. Cicero agrees with this, * Osmen voces hom- 

 inum ' " — Canon Bourke. Compare- Latin : omen^ a sign, a prog- 

 nostication,^it being much used in the ceremonies of the 

 Druids. Omna, a lance, or a spear, these implements being 

 made from the wood of the oak. Greek : hopv, a spear, because 

 made of wood or oak. Eitheach, oak, from eithim, to eat, an 

 old form of ith. Latin : ed-ere, as " oak " is derived from ak 

 (Old German) to eat (the acorn). The " oak " was called 

 Qiierciis esculus by the Latins. Rail, railaidh, oak. 



" Ni bliiodh achd, aon dhearc ar an ralaidh." 

 There used to be only one acorn on the oak. 



Canon Eourke thinks it is derived from ro, exceeding, and ail, 

 growth ; or ri, a king, and al or ail — that is, king of the growing 

 plants. The Highlanders still call it righ na coille, king of the 

 wood. The Spanish name roble seems to be cognate with 

 robur. 



Q. ilex — Holm-tree. Gaelic and Irish : craohh thiiilvi, gen- 

 itive of tolm, a knoll, may here be only an alteration of "holm." 

 Darach sior-uaine, ever-green oak. 



Q. suber — The cork-tree. Gaelic : cranti airceain. Irish : 

 crann aire. Aire, a cork. 



Fagus sylvatica — Beech. Gaelic and Irish : craobh fhaibhile. 

 Welsh : ffawydd. Fai, from ^ayw, to eat. cfirjyos, the beech-tree. 

 This name was first applied to the oak, and as we have no 

 Quereus eseulus, the name Fagus is applied to the beech and not 

 to the oak. Oruin (O'Reilly), see Thuja artieulata. Beith na 

 measa, the fruiting birch. Meas, a fruit, as of oak or beech — like 

 *'mess," "munch." French : manger, to eat. 



F. sylvatica var. atrorubens — Black beech. Gaelic : faibhile 

 dubh (Fergusson), black beech, from the sombre appearance of 

 its branches. The " mast " of the beech was used as food, and 

 was called bachar, from Latin, baeehar ; Greek, /SaKxapis, a 

 plant having a fragrant root. A name also given to Valeriana 

 eeltiea (Sprengel), Celtic nard. 



Carpinus — Celtic : ear, wood ; and pin, a head. It having 

 been used to make the yokes of oxen. 



