Definitions for Irish
ˈaɪ rɪʃIr·ish

Princeton's WordNet(1.00 / 1 vote)Rate this definition:

1. Irish, Irish people(noun)

   people of Ireland or of Irish extraction

2. Irish, Irish whiskey, Irish whisky(noun)

   whiskey made in Ireland chiefly from barley

3. Irish, Irish Gaelic(adj)

   the Celtic language of Ireland

4. Irish(adj)

   of or relating to or characteristic of Ireland or its people

GCIDE(0.00 / 0 votes)Rate this definition:

1. Irish(n. sing. & pl.)

   The language of the Irish; also called Irish Gaelic or the Hiberno-Celtic.

Wiktionary(5.00 / 1 vote)Rate this definition:

1. Irish(Noun)

   The Irish people.

2. Irish(Noun)

   A board game of the tables family.

3. Irish(Noun)

   Temper; anger, passion.

4. Irish(Noun)

   whiskey, or whisky, elaborated in Ireland.

5. Irish(Adjective)

   Pertaining to or originating from Ireland or the Irish people.

   Sheep are typical in the Irish landscape.

6. Irish(Adjective)

   Pertaining to the Irish language.

7. Irish(Adjective)

   (Derogatory) Nonsensical, daft or complex.

   "A number of derogatory nicknames began to emerge, including "Irish confetti" for thrown bricks, and "Irish kiss" for a slap" (Wisegeek.com)

8. Irish(ProperNoun)

   The Goidelic language indigenous to Ireland, also known as Irish Gaelic.

   Irish is the first official and national language of Ireland

Origin: Irisce (12th c.), from Īras, from írar, from Ériu (mod. Éire), from Īwerjū 'fat land, fertile'; akin to , '.

Webster Dictionary(0.00 / 0 votes)Rate this definition:

1. Irish(adj)

   of or pertaining to Ireland or to its inhabitants; produced in Ireland

2. Irish

   the natives or inhabitants of Ireland, esp. the Celtic natives or their descendants

3. Irish

   the language of the Irish; the Hiberno-Celtic

4. Irish

   an old game resembling backgammon

Origin: [AS. risc, fr. ras the Irish. Cf. Aryan, Erse.]

Freebase(5.00 / 2 votes)Rate this definition:

1. Irish

   Irish, also known as Irish Gaelic or Gaelic, is a Goidelic language of the Indo-European language family, originating in Ireland and historically spoken by the Irish people. Irish is currently spoken as a first language by a small minority of Irish people, as well as being a second language for a rather larger group. Irish enjoys constitutional status as the national and first official language of the Republic of Ireland. It is an official language of the European Union and an officially recognised minority language in Northern Ireland. Irish was the predominant language of the Irish people for most of their recorded history, and they brought it with them to other countries, notably Scotland and the Isle of Man, where it gave rise to Scottish Gaelic and Manx. It has the oldest vernacular literature in Western Europe. The fate of the language was influenced by the increasing power of the British state in Ireland. Elizabethan officials viewed the use of Irish unfavourably, as being a threat to all things English in Ireland. Its decline began under English rule in the seventeenth century. The latter part of the nineteenth century saw a dramatic decrease in the number of speakers, beginning after the Great Famine of 1845–1852. Irish-speaking areas were hit especially hard. By the end of British rule, the language was spoken by less than 15% of the national population. Since then, Irish speakers have been in the minority except in areas collectively known as the Gaeltacht. Ongoing efforts have been made to preserve, promote and revive the language by both the state and independent individuals and organisations, but with mixed results.

Chambers 20th Century Dictionary(0.00 / 0 votes)Rate this definition:

1. Irish

   ī′rish, adj. relating to or produced in Ireland.—n. language of the Irish, a form of Celtic: (pl.) the natives or inhabitants of Ireland.—ns. I′ricism, I′rishism, a phrase or idiom peculiar to the Irish.—n.pl. I′rishry, the people of Ireland.—Irish moss, carrageen; Irish stew, a palatable dish of mutton, onions, and potatoes, seasoned, and stewed in water mixed with flour.

British National Corpus

1. Spoken Corpus Frequency

   Rank popularity for the word 'Irish' in Spoken Corpus Frequency: #1738

2. Written Corpus Frequency

   Rank popularity for the word 'Irish' in Written Corpus Frequency: #2891

3. Adjectives Frequency

   Rank popularity for the word 'Irish' in Adjectives Frequency: #229

Anagrams for Irish »

1. rishi

2. sirih

Numerology

1. Chaldean Numerology

   The numerical value of Irish in Chaldean Numerology is: 3

2. Pythagorean Numerology

   The numerical value of Irish in Pythagorean Numerology is: 9

Examples of Irish in a Sentence

1. Denis Coderre:

   I have a Irish blood so I'm a fighter and a lover

2. Brendan Behan:

   If it was raining soup, the Irish would go out with forks.

3. Ed McMahon:

   God invented whiskey to keep the Irish from ruling the world.

4. Donagh Stenson:

   Irish abortions happen ; they just don't happen on Irish soil.

5. Clare Brophy:

   In the eyes of Irish law, I'm equal to an unborn fetus. I'm not.

Images & Illustrations of Irish

Popularity rank by frequency of use