ith1, v.t. & i. (fut. íosfaidh, vn. ~e, pp. ite).Eat. 1. Bia a ~e, to eat food. ~ do sháith, do dhóthain, eat your fill. Níor ~ mé aon ghreim ó mhaidin, I haven’t had a bite all day. ~e as lámh duine, to eat out of s.o.’s hand, be subservient to s.o. D’íosfadh sé an t-iarann, he has an iron constitution. 2. Feed, graze. Ag ~e na ngort, grazing the fields. 3. Bite. Ag ~e a chuid ingne, biting his nails. Bhí sé ag ~e na méar de féin, he was biting his fingers from vexation. 4. Corrode, erode. Tá an mheirg ag ~e an iarainn, the rust is corroding the iron. An fharraige ag ~e an chósta, the sea eroding the coast. 5. Consume, destroy. Ná bí ag ~e an chroí asat féin, don’t be eating your heart out. 6. Abuse, scold, revile. Ná h~ mé, don’t eat me. D’~ sí an aghaidh díom, she ate the face off me. Ag ~e na gcomharsan, reviling, backbiting, the neighbours. Tá siad ag ~e a chéile ar fad, they are always quarrelling. Ag ~e is ag gearradh ar a chéile, reviling each other. F:D’íosfadh sé thú le gráinnín salainn, he hates the sight of you. S.a. feoil 1. 7. Chew. Bhí sé ag ~e na cainte, na bhfocal, he was mumbling his speech, his words. Tá an fharraige ite, the sea is choppy. 8. (In phrase) D’íosfainn é sula dtógfainn é, I could no more lift it than I could eat it. 9. Ite ag, le, eaten, tormented, destroyed, by. Ite ag na leamhain, moth-eaten. Ite ag na dreancaidí, flea-bitten. Ite ag an tochas, tormented with itch. Ite ag an éad, consumed with jealousy. Ite le fiacha, debt-ridden.