rath
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n. (răth)
[Ir. rath.]
1. A hill or mound. [Ireland] Spenser.
2. A kind of ancient fortification found in Ireland.
Rath
Rathe a. (răth)
[AS. hræð, hræd, quick, akin to OHG. hrad, Icel. hraðr.]
Coming before others, or before the usual time; early. [Obs. or Poetic]
Bring the rathe primrose that forsaken dies.Milton.
Rath
Rathe, adv.
Early; soon; betimes. [Obs. or Poetic]
Why rise ye up so rathe?Chaucer.
Too rathe cut off by practice criminal.Spenser.
A primitive fort in Ireland, many of which still exist today; the defensive structure includes ramparts of stone or earth as well as some rudimentary form of housing.
ráith, rath
A circular earthen wall, usually fortified or palisaded, surrounding ancient Irish dwellings; more loosely, the fortified dwelling, presumably of an early chieftain or king, surrounded by such a wall. First element in innumerable Irish place-names, where it is sometimes translated as ‘royal seat’; virtually interchangeable with the term dún-. Thought to be the residence of fairies in Irish oral tradition. See also LISS.
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rath (rä, räth), circular hill fort protected by earthworks, used by the ancient Irish in the pre-Christian era as a retreat in time of danger. Some of the larger raths, such as that at Tara, were important in early Irish history and were used by chieftains or kings. Many raths remain throughout Ireland.
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McGraw-Hill Dictionary of Architecture & Construction
McGraw-Hill Dictionary of Architecture and Construction. Copyright © 2003 by McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved.
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A Dictionary of Celtic Mythology. Copyright © James MacKillop 1998, 2004. All rights reserved.
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