靉あい靆たい

taru-adjective, adverb taking the 'to' particle

trailing (clouds); thick; heavy

Literary, classical adjective describing clouds or mist that hang low and thick, often with a sense of trailing or spreading heavily. Used in the form 靉靆たる or 靉靆として.

• 山やまの頂いただきに靉あい靆たいたる雲くもがかかっていた。

  Thick, trailing clouds hung over the mountain peak.

taru-adjective, adverb taking the 'to' particle

dark (mood); gloomy (feeling)

Literary, classical use for a gloomy, overcast emotional state. Also used in the 靉靆たる/として pattern.

• 彼かれの心こころは靉あい靆たいとして晴はれなかった。

  His heart remained dark and gloomy, never clearing.

noun

eyeglasses

Archaic noun for eyeglasses, derived from the cloudiness of early lenses. Not used in modern Japanese; the standard word is 眼鏡 (めがね).

• 江え戸ど時じ代だいには「靉あい靆たい」という言こと葉ばで眼鏡めがねを指さした。

  In the Edo period, the word 靉靆 referred to eyeglasses.