[‘ As a term of endearment: ‘my love’; ‘dear’.']
Pronunciation: Brit. /ˈɑːɡrə/, U.S. /ˈɑɡrə/
Forms: 18– *a ghradh*, 18– *agra*, 18– *a gra*, 18– *a gradh*, 18– *agrah*, 18– *agraw*, 18– *a graw*, 19– *a ghra*, 19– *aghra*, 19– *agradh*, 19– *a’graw*.
Etymology: < Irish /a ghrá/, †/a ghrádh/ < /a/, vocative particle + grá, †/grádh/ love (Early Irish /grád/; of unknown origin). Compare earlier gra int.
/Irish English/.
As a term of endearment: ‘my love’; ‘dear’.
1757 T. Smollett /Reprisal/ i. ii. 8, I am always happy when you are spaiking, whether I’m asleep or awake a gra.
1825 /Dublin & London Mag./ Oct. 353/1 ‘Why, what happened your eyes, agrah?’ axed the ould woman.
1847 Trollope /Macdermots/ I. ix. 213 Kathleen, agra,..bring me a glass of sperrits, will you?
1912 ‘G. A. Birmingham’ /Lighter Side of Irish Life/ viii. 173 A child is addressed as ‘agra’ or in the case of a boy ‘avic’. The words are pure Gaelic, and mean ‘my dear’ and ‘my son’.
1998 W. Keady /Mary McGreevy/ (1999) x. 111 The grin came off his gob when he spotted the thunder on her face. ‘What’s the matter, Kitty, a ghradh?’
2009 /Roscommon (Ireland) Herald/ (Nexis) 9 June, ‘Seáneen, a ghrá,’ she said, ‘it’s an awful pity you never played a biteen of football.’