Irish

How to spell irish

5 letters · 2 syllables

How to pronounce irish

Say the part in capitals loudest.

What does irish mean?

1. adjectiveRelating to Ireland, its people, or its culture.
2. nounThe Celtic language native to Ireland, also called Gaelic.

Irish in a sentence

• adjective

  The pub served a traditional irish stew on Friday nights.

• noun

  The road signs were printed in both English and irish.

• adjective

  Her grandmother taught her several irish folk songs.

• noun

  He studied irish at university and now teaches it.

Where does irish come from?

Language of origin: Germanic

This word descends from the Old English Iras, the name the Anglo-Saxons used for the inhabitants of Ireland, combined with the very common native suffix -ish that means 'belonging to' or 'of the nature of', the same ending found in English and Scottish. The Old English name itself goes back to the Old Irish Eriu, the native name for the island, which also gives the modern Irish word Eire. Over the centuries the spelling settled on a single 'r' and the familiar -ish ending, which is the part that trips writers who expect a doubled letter. The root sense was simply 'of the people of Ireland', and the word later broadened to cover the language, the culture, and anything characteristic of the country. Because it is a proper adjective it is always written with a capital letter in normal use, even though the bare practice form here appears in lower case.

How the word is built

• Ir- (from Old English Iras: the people of Ireland)
• -ish (adjective suffix meaning 'belonging to' or 'of the nature of')