taghairm

Meaning

Noun

• An ancient divination method of the Highland Scots involving animal sacrifice.

Origin

• Borrowed from Scottish Gaelic taghairm, possibly from gairm, from Old Irish gairm, from Proto-Celtic *garrman, from Proto-Indo-European *ǵh₂r̥-smn̥, from *ǵeh₂r-, *gʰel-; compare Irish toghairm ("an invocation, a [[summons#Noun"), from gairm, gair, ultimately from the same Proto-Indo-European roots.
• The Encyclopædia Britannica (3rd ed., 1797) suggests a derivation from Scottish Gaelic ta ("a The Lady of the Lake suggested tarbh or targair. The reliability of these etymologies is uncertain.