Flaithiúlach
Generous, open-handed - sometimes too much so. The word covers both unstinting hospitality and reckless extravagance: a flaithiúlach host is admirable, a flaithiúlach spender is a different matter. The judgement lives in the context.
Etymology
From Irish 'flaithiúlach', adjective of 'flaith' (= prince, ruler, lord). The underlying image is princely generosity - the kind a lord could afford. Hiberno-English picked up the word with both senses intact: genuine hospitality on the one hand, unwise lavishness on the other. The fada usually carries in print; casual writing drops to 'flaithiulach' or even 'flathulach'.
In a sentence
"He's far too flaithiúlach with the petrol money - he'll have nothing left by Friday."
Historical notes
Flaithiúlach is one of the words that show Hiberno-English borrowing the cultural nuance along with the lexeme. Standard English 'generous' carries only approval; 'flaithiúlach' carries a mix - admiration with a small reservation about whether the person can afford the gesture. Heard in older speech and in deliberately Irish-flavoured prose; younger speakers may default to 'generous' or 'open-handed'.
Alternate spellings
flaithiulach · flathulach
Sources
- Foclóir Gaeilge-Béarla (Ó Dónaill), entry flaithiúlach. · dictionary