16

Why is there an 'ai' in plaid if it is pronounced "plad"? That's a word that used to trip me up when I was a little tyke. (This time, unlike my previous question, I hope I'm right in saying that this word is an oddity in having an 'ai' pronounced as 'a'.)

Community
  • 1
Daniel
  • 57,547
  • 1
    But don't confuse with Welsh plaid /plaɪd/ meaning side or political party. – z7sg Ѫ Aug 02 '11 at 10:22
  • 4
    Tangential comment: "Plaid" appears to be a much more common word in the US than in Britain (even Scotland): what Americans call "plaid", we usually call "tartan". – Colin Fine Aug 02 '11 at 11:31
  • @Colin Fine - Quite. Here in the US I have heard "tartan" used, but in the clothing industry you usually see them describe that pattern as plaid. My wife may even be able to describe a difference between the two words, but as a meer male I don't see one. – T.E.D. Aug 02 '11 at 14:01
  • 2
    A meer male is like a meercat? – GEdgar Aug 02 '11 at 15:21
  • 1
    I thought that a plaid was a tartan cloak worn over the shoulder as part of parade dress. – Chris Cudmore Nov 17 '11 at 16:54
  • Did none of you know a girl with hair in plaits - and skirt with pleats who plied you with alcohol while using a com-plic-ated ploy to per-plex you? – Michael May 22 '13 at 15:53
  • While the word is an oddity, it's not quite unique: http://english.stackexchange.com/questions/72432/british-pronunciation-of-plait – herisson Jul 14 '15 at 02:39
  • Plaid as in maid as in the line of a song 'He wrapped me in his plaide'. But they're both from another time - It's tartan nowadays in Scotland. – Euphemia Grubb Apr 01 '17 at 19:09
  • A meercat is like a meerkat? – Daniel Apr 06 '17 at 19:22

2 Answers2

20

Because it's not English — it's from the Gaelic word for blanket.

According to Gaelic pronunciation, "ai" in old Irish is a short 'a' as in gather.

Uticensis
  • 21,799
mgb
  • 24,191
2

Just like to point out two things:

Plaid comes from Scottish Gaelic:

1505–15; < Scots Gaelic plaide blanket, plaid

According to the site that @Martin Beckett provided, Scottish Gaelic pronounces "ai", as short a.

Thursagen
  • 41,919