#http://edil.qub.ac.uk/2497

[thinksandthings]

aisling

Aisling is in my opinion, a beautiful word which exists in both English and its native Irish. In English (IPA: ˈæʃlɪŋ, aehsh - ling), aisling refers to a poem which includes a dramatic illustration of a dream or vision. More specifically, it refers to a form of Irish poetry which was sometimes used for political ends in the 17th and 18th centuries.

It is a direct borrowing from the Irish aisling (IPA: aʃlʲɪɲ), which more broadly translates to “dream or vision.”  This comes from the old Irish form aislinge of the same definition. 

Another version of the word I really like is the noun aislingeach, which is a combination of the verb form of aisling meaning “to see in a dream or vision, and the nominal suffix -ach, which comes together to create “visionary or daydreamer.”