Definitions for Irish
ˈaɪ rɪʃIrish

Princeton's WordNet(2.00 / 2 votes)Rate this definition:

1. Irish, Irish peoplenoun

   people of Ireland or of Irish extraction

2. Irish, Irish whiskey, Irish whiskynoun

   whiskey made in Ireland chiefly from barley

3. Irish, Irish Gaelicadjective

   the Celtic language of Ireland

4. Irishadjective

   of or relating to or characteristic of Ireland or its people

GCIDE(0.00 / 0 votes)Rate this definition:

1. Irishn. sing. & pl.

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

Wiktionary(5.00 / 1 vote)Rate this definition:

1. Irishnoun

   The Irish people.

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

2. Irishnoun

   A board game of the tables family.

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

3. Irishnoun

   Temper; anger, passion.

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

4. Irishnoun

   whiskey, or whisky, elaborated in Ireland.

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

5. Irishadjective

   Pertaining to or originating from Ireland or the Irish people.

   Sheep are typical in the Irish landscape.

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

6. Irishadjective

   Pertaining to the Irish language.

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

7. Irishadjective

   (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)

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

8. Irishnoun

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

   Irish is the first official and national language of Ireland

   Etymology: 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. Irishadjective

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

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

2. Irish

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

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

3. Irish

   the language of the Irish; the Hiberno-Celtic

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

4. Irish

   an old game resembling backgammon

   Etymology: [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

How to pronounce Irish?

1. Alex

   US English

   David

   US English

   Mark

   US English

   Daniel

   British

   Libby

   British

   Mia

   British

   Karen

   Australian

   Hayley

   Australian

   Natasha

   Australian

   Veena

   Indian

   Priya

   Indian

   Neerja

   Indian

   Zira

   US English

   Oliver

   British

   Wendy

   British

   Fred

   US English

   Tessa

   South African

How to say Irish in sign language?

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. Irish Finance Minister Michael Noonan:

   So far the Irish economy has maintained its reputation internationally and we're quietly hopeful we won't get a major shock from the settlement, if there are adverse consequences for Ireland, and there well may be, it's medium term but the extent of them will depend on what kind of settlement succeeds British membership and how the negotiations between the UK and EU progress.

2. Samuel Johnson:

   The Irish are a fair people - they never speak well of one another.

3. Central Bank:

   Despite the downturn in global trade, Irish exports are projected to have grown by over 4% last year, with this resilience reflecting the strong growth of exports of pharmaceuticals, computer services and business services, as a result, GDP is now estimated to have grown by 2.5 per cent in 2020.

4. Liam Heron:

   The government is running scared because they made such a balls of Irish Water, with the election coming up the government are looking over their shoulders the whole time.

5. Prime Minister Enda Kenny:

   Despite the disappointing outcome, which did not return the outgoing Fine Gael–Labour government, Fine Gael will be the largest group and we are determined to play our part in providing the Irish people with a government, we will engage fully and inclusively with other parties, groups and independent deputies to ensure that such a government is established.

Popularity rank by frequency of use