Irish
Language: English
Part of speech: adj
Pronunciation: enpr: ī'rĭsh
ipa: /ˈaɪɹɪʃ/
enpr: īə'rĭsh
ipa: /ˈaɪəɹɪʃ/
note: weak vowel merger
ipa: /ˈaɪɹəʃ/
Forms: form: more Irish
form: most Irish
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”).
Senses: examples: text: Sheep are typical in the Irish landscape.
text: 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.
ref: 1992 April 26, “Hot Off the Press”, in Jeeves and Wooster, Series 3, Episode 5:
glosses: Pertaining to or originating from Ireland or the Irish people.
glosses: Pertaining to the Irish language.
examples: text: 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.
ref: 1995, Irving Lewis Allen, The City in Slang: New York Life and Popular Speech:
glosses: nonsensical, daft or complex.
Derived terms: sense: Terms derived from Irish (adjective)
word: Irish bacon
sense: Terms derived from Irish (adjective)
word: Irish blight
sense: Terms derived from Irish (adjective)
word: Irish Blue
sense: Terms derived from Irish (adjective)
word: Irish Blue Terrier
sense: Terms derived from Irish (adjective)
word: Irish bouzouki
sense: Terms derived from Irish (adjective)
word: Irish coffee
sense: Terms derived from Irish (adjective)
word: Irish cream
sense: Terms derived from Irish (adjective)
word: Irish diamond
sense: Terms derived from Irish (adjective)
word: Irish exit
sense: Terms derived from Irish (adjective)
word: Irish goodbye
sense: Terms derived from Irish (adjective)
word: Irish harp
sense: Terms derived from Irish (adjective)
word: Irish Hobby
sense: Terms derived from Irish (adjective)
word: Irish horse
sense: Terms derived from Irish (adjective)
word: Irish hospitality
sense: Terms derived from Irish (adjective)
word: Irish joke
sense: Terms derived from Irish (adjective)
word: Irish linen
sense: Terms derived from Irish (adjective)
word: Irishly
sense: Terms derived from Irish (adjective)
word: Irish mile
sense: Terms derived from Irish (adjective)
word: Irish pub
sense: Terms derived from Irish (adjective)
word: Irish question
sense: Terms derived from Irish (adjective)
word: Irish soda bread
sense: Terms derived from Irish (adjective)
word: Irishtown
sense: Terms derived from Irish (adjective)
word: Irish twin
sense: Terms derived from Irish (adjective)
word: Irish up
sense: Terms derived from Irish (adjective)
word: Irish water spaniel
sense: Terms derived from Irish (adjective)
word: Irish wolfhound
sense: Terms derived from Irish (adjective)
word: Northern Irish
sense: Terms derived from Irish (adjective)
word: weep Irish
Related terms: Erse
Gaelic
Wiktionary’s coverage of Irish terms