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, but we will also tell you about its etymology, its characteristics and you will know how to say
in singular and plural. Everything you need to know about the word
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will help you to be more precise and correct when speaking or writing your texts. Knowing the definition of
, as well as those of other words, enriches your vocabulary and provides you with more and better linguistic resources.
English
Wiktionary
Etymology
From Middle English Irish (12th c.), from Old English *Īrisċ , from Old English Īras ( “ Irishmen ” ) , from Old Norse Írar , from Old Irish Ériu (modern Irish Éire ( “ Ireland ” ) ), further origin heavily debated but probably from Proto-Celtic *Φīweriyū ( “ fat land, fertile ” ) , from Proto-Indo-European *péyh₂wr̥ ( “ fat, swelling ” ) , from *peyh₂- ( “ to swell; to be fat ” ) , akin to Ancient Greek πίειρα ( píeira , “ fertile land ” ) , Sanskrit पीवरी ( pīvarī , “ fat ” ) .
Pronunciation
Proper noun
Irish
( uncountable ) The Gaelic language indigenous to Ireland , also known as Irish Gaelic .
Irish is the first official and national language of Ireland.
( as plural ) The Irish people.
A surname originating as an ethnonym .
A female given name of chiefly Philippine usage .
Usage notes
Derived terms
Translations
the language
Afrikaans: Iers (af)
Arabic: أَيِرْلَنْدِيّ ( ʔayirlandiyy )
Hijazi Arabic: ايرلندي m ( ērlandi )
Armenian: իռլանդերեն (hy) ( iṙlanderen )
Asturian: irlandés (ast) m
Basque: gaelera (eu) , irlandera (eu)
Belarusian: ірла́ндская мо́ва ( irlándskaja móva ) , ірла́ндская f ( irlándskaja ) , ірля́ндзкая мо́ва ( irljándzkaja móva ) , ірля́ндзкая f ( irljándzkaja )
Breton: iwerzhoneg (br) m
Catalan: irlandès (ca) m , gaèlic irlandès m
Valencian: irlandés (ca) m , gaèlic irlandés m
Cherokee: ᎢᎤᎳᏂ ( iulani )
Chinese:
Mandarin: 愛爾蘭語 / 爱尔兰语 (zh) ( ài'ěrlányǔ )
Cornish: Godhalek m
Czech: irština (cs) f
Danish: irsk (da)
Dutch: Iers (nl) n
Esperanto: irlanda lingvo
Estonian: iiri keel (et)
Faroese: írskt (fo) n
Finnish: iiri (fi)
French: irlandais (fr) m , gaélique irlandais (fr) m
Galician: irlandés (gl) m
Georgian: ირლანდიური (ka) ( irlandiuri ) , ირლანდიური ენა ( irlandiuri ena )
German: Irisch (de) n , Irisch-Gälisch (de) n , Gälisch (de) n
Greek: ιρλανδικά (el) n pl ( irlandiká )
Hebrew: אִירִית (he) ( irit )
Hungarian: ír (hu)
Icelandic: írska (is) f
Indonesian: Irlandia (id)
Irish: Gaeilge (ga) f , Gaelainn f , Gaedhilg f , Gaeilge na hÉireann f
Classical Gaelic: Gaoidhealg f
Italian: irlandese (it) m , gaelico m
Japanese: アイルランド語 (ja) ( アイルランドご, Airurandogo )
Khmer: អៀរ (km) ( ʼiə )
Korean: 아일랜드어 ( aillaendeueo )
Latvian: īru valoda f , īru
Lithuanian: airių (lt) , airių kalba (lt)
Macedonian: ирски m ( irski )
Maltese: l-Irlandiż m
Manx: Yernish f
Marathi: आयरिश f ( āyriś )
Navajo: Aárish bizaad
Norwegian:
Bokmål: irsk (no) m
Nynorsk: irsk (nn) m
Persian: ایرلندی (fa) ( irlandi )
Polish: język irlandzki (pl) m inan , iryjski (pl) m
Portuguese: irlandês (pt) m , gaélico (pt) m
Romanian: irlandeză (ro) f
Russian: и́рландский (ru) m ( írlandskij )
Scots: Erse
Scottish Gaelic: Gaeilge f
Serbo-Croatian:
Cyrillic: и̑рскӣ m
Roman: ȋrskī (sh) m
Slovene: írščina (sl) f
Spanish: irlandés (es) m
Swedish: iriska (sv) c
Tagalog: Irlandes (tl)
Tigrinya: አይሪሽ ( ʾäyriš )
Ukrainian: ірла́ндська мо́ва f ( irlándsʹka móva ) , ірла́ндська f ( irlándsʹka )
Urdu: آئرستانی ( āiristānī ) , آئرش ( āiriś )
Vietnamese: tiếng Ai-len
Volapük: Lireyänapük
Welsh: Gwyddeleg (cy) m or f
West Frisian: Iersk (fy) n
the people
Afrikaans: Iere pl
Arabic: إِيرْلَنْدِيّ m ( ʔirlandiyy ) , إِيرْلَنْدِيَّة f ( ʔīrlandiyya )
Belarusian: ірла́ндзец m ( irlándzjec ) , ірла́ндка f ( irlándka ) , ірля́ндзец f ( irljándzjec ) , ірля́ндка f ( irljándka ) ( Taraškievica )
Bulgarian: ирла́ндец m ( irlándec ) , ирла́ндка f ( irlándka )
Catalan: irlandesos (ca) m pl
Chinese:
Mandarin: 愛爾蘭人 / 爱尔兰人 (zh) ( Ài'ěrlánrén )
Czech: Ir (cs) m , Irka (cs) f
Faroese: íri m
Finnish: irlantilaiset (fi) pl
French: Irlandais (fr) m , Irlandaise (fr) f
Galician: irlandeses m pl
Georgian: ირლანდიელები ( irlandielebi ) , ირლანდიელი ( irlandieli )
German: Ire (de) m , Irin (de) f
Hawaiian: ʻIlelani
Hebrew: אירים m pl ( Írim )
Icelandic: Írlendingar pl
Irish: Éireannach (ga) m , Gael m
Italian: irlandese (it)
Japanese: アイルランド人 (ja) ( アイルランドじん, Airurandojin )
Latvian: īrs m , īriete f
Macedonian: Ирци pl ( Irci ) ( collectively ) , Ирец m ( Irec ) , Ирка f ( Irka )
Marathi: आयरिश ( āyriś )
Navajo: Dághaałchííʼ dineʼé
Old Norse: írar m pl
Persian: ایرلندی (fa) ( irlandi )
Polish: Irlandczyk (pl) m pers , Irlandka (pl) f
Portuguese: irlandeses (pt) pl
Romanian: irlandez (ro)
Russian: ирла́ндцы (ru) m pl ( irlándcy ) ( collectively ) , ирла́ндец (ru) m ( irlándec ) , ирла́ндка (ru) f ( irlándka )
Scots: Erse
Scottish Gaelic: na h-Èireannaich m pl
Serbo-Croatian:
Cyrillic: И́рац m , И̏ркиња f
Roman: Írac (sh) m , Ȉrkinja f
Slovak: Ír m , Írka f
Slovene: Irec (sl) m
Spanish: irlandeses (es) m pl
Tagalog: Irlandes (tl)
Ukrainian: ірла́ндець m ( irlándecʹ ) , ірла́ндка f ( irlándka )
Urdu: آئرستانی ( āiristānī ) , آئرش ( āiriś )
Vietnamese: người Ai-len
Welsh: Gwyddelod (cy) pl , ( literary ) Gwyddyl pl
Noun
Irish (countable and uncountable , plural Irish or Irishes )
( uncountable , obsolete ) A board game of the tables family.
( uncountable , US ) Temper ; anger, passion .
1834 , David Crockett , A Narrative of the Life of David Crockett , Nebraska, published 1987 , page 65 :But her Irish was up too high to do any thing with her, and so I quit trying.
1997 , Andrew M. Greeley , Irish Lace , page 296 :The Priest is as fierce a fighter as I am when he gets his Irish up.
( countable , uncountable ) Whiskey , or whisky , elaborated in Ireland.
1889 , Jerome K. Jerome , Three Men in a Boat :Harris said he'd had enough oratory for one night, and proposed that we should go out and have a smile, saying that he had found a place, round by the square, where you could really get a drop of Irish worth drinking.
Derived terms
Translations
Translations to be checked
Adjective
Irish (comparative more Irish , superlative most Irish )
Pertaining to or originating from Ireland or the Irish people.
Sheep are typical in the Irish landscape.
1992 April 26, “Hot Off the Press ”, in Jeeves and Wooster , Series 3, Episode 5:A. Fink-Nottle : But it's absolute balderdash , Bertie. I mean, listen to this: "Sure and begorrah , I don't know what's after being the matter with you, Michael." I mean, what on earth is this "what's after being" stuff mean?B.W. Wooster : My dear old Gussie, that is how people think Irish people talk.
Pertaining to the Irish language .
( derogatory ) nonsensical, daft or complex.
1995 , Irving Lewis Allen, The City in Slang: New York Life and Popular Speech :The slur continued with Irish confetti, a popular term for paving stones or Belgian bricks that were laid in New York streets beginning about 1832.
Derived terms
Translations
pertaining to or originating from Ireland or the Irish people
Afrikaans: Iers (af)
Albanian: irlandez (sq)
Arabic: إِيرْلَنْدِيّ ( ʔīrlandiyy )
Armenian: իռլանդական (hy) ( iṙlandakan )
Asturian: irlandés (ast)
Azerbaijani: irland
Basque: irlandar
Belarusian: ірла́ндскі ( irlándski ) , ірля́ндзкі ( irljándzki ) ( Taraškievica )
Bengali: আইরিশ (bn) ( airiś )
Bulgarian: ирла́ндски ( irlándski )
Burmese: အိုင်ယာလန် ( uing-yalan )
Catalan: irlandès (ca)
Valencian: irlandés (ca)
Chinese:
Mandarin: 愛爾蘭的 / 爱尔兰的 (zh) ( Ài'ěrlán de )
Czech: irský (cs) m
Danish: irsk (da)
Dutch: Iers (nl)
Esperanto: irlanda
Estonian: iiri (et)
Faroese: írskur
Finnish: irlantilainen (fi) , irkku- (fi)
French: irlandais (fr)
Galician: irlandés (gl)
Georgian: ირლანდიური (ka) ( irlandiuri )
German: irisch (de) , irländisch (de) ( rare )
Hawaiian: ʻIlelani
Hebrew: אִירִי ( iri )
Hindi: आयरिश (hi) ( āyriś )
Hungarian: ír (hu)
Icelandic: írskur
Indonesian: Irlandia (id)
Irish: Éireannach (ga) , Gaelach
Italian: irlandese (it)
Japanese: アイルランドの (ja) ( アイルランドの, Airurando no )
Kazakh: ирланд ( irland )
Khmer: អៀរឡង់ ( ʼiəlɑng )
Korean: 아일랜드의 (ko) ( aillaendeuui )
Kyrgyz: ирланд ( irland )
Lao: ອຽກລັງ ( ʼīak lang )
Latvian: īru , īrisks
Lithuanian: airiškas (lt) , airių (lt)
Macedonian: ирски m ( irski )
Malay: Ireland (ms)
Maltese: Irlandiż
Marathi: आयरिश ( āyriś )
Mongolian:
Cyrillic: ирланд ( irland )
Mongolian: ᠢᠷᠯᠠᠨᠳ᠋ ( irland )
Norwegian:
Bokmål: irsk (no)
Nynorsk: irsk (nn)
Persian: ایرلندی (fa) ( irlandi )
Polish: irlandzki (pl)
Portuguese: irlandês (pt)
Romanian: irlandez (ro)
Russian: ирла́ндский (ru) ( irlándskij )
Scots: Erse
Scottish Gaelic: Èireannach
Serbo-Croatian:
Cyrillic: и̑рскӣ
Roman: ȋrskī (sh)
Slovak: irský (sk)
Slovene: írski (sl)
Spanish: irlandés (es)
Swedish: irländsk (sv)
Tagalog: Irlandes (tl)
Tajik: ирландӣ (tg) ( irlandi ) , ирландиягӣ ( irlandiyagi )
Tatar: ирланд ( irland )
Thai: ไอริช (th) , ไอร์แลนด์ (th) ( ai-lɛɛn )
Turkish: İrlanda (tr)
Turkmen: irland
Ukrainian: ірла́ндський ( irlándsʹkyj )
Urdu: آئرستانی ( āiristānī ) , آئرش ( āiriś )
Uyghur: ئرېلاندىيە ( rëlandiye )
Uzbek: irland (uz) , irlandiyalik
Vietnamese: Ái Nhĩ Lan (vi)
Welsh: Gwyddelig
pertaining to the language
Translations to be checked
See also
Further reading
Anagrams
Cebuano
Etymology 1
From English Irish , from Middle English Irisce , from Old English Īras ( “ Irishmen ” ) , from Old Norse Írar , from Old Irish Ériu (modern Éire ( “ Ireland ” ) ), from Proto-Celtic *Īwerjū ( “ fat land, fertile ” ) , from Proto-Indo-European *pi-wer- ( “ fertile ” ) , from *peyH- ( literally “ fat ” ) .
Proper noun
Irish
the Goidelic language indigenous to Ireland , also known as Irish Gaelic
Noun
Irish
an Irishman or Irishwoman
Adjective
Irish
pertaining to or originating from Ireland or the Irish people
pertaining to the Irish language
Etymology 2
From English Irish . Also a corruption of Iris .
Proper noun
Irish
a female given name from English
Middle English
Etymology
From Old English Īras ( “ Irishmen ” ) , from Old Norse Írar , from Old Irish Ériu (modern Irish Éire ( “ Ireland ” ) ).
Pronunciation
Noun
Irish (uncountable )
Irish
Descendants
References