Irish
adjEtymology 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”).
1
Pertaining to or originating from Ireland or the Irish people.
- Sheep are typical in the Irish landscape.
- 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.1992 April 26, “Hot Off the Press”, in Jeeves and Wooster, Series 3, Episode 5:
1 more example
- My genes would best be described as a melting pot – my mother is part Bulgarian Roma, part Romanichal (English Romany), and my dad is part Romanichal, part Irish Traveller – thus, it was hardly surprising when I was born a blue-eyed milk bottle.2013 October 25, Filip Borev, “I was a pale Roma baby – it's always been a family joke that I was stolen”, in The Guardian, →ISSN, archived from the original on 12 Aug 2022:
2
Pertaining to the Irish language.
- Derived terms
32 terms
full Irish, full Irish breakfast, Irish bacon, Irish blight, Irish Blue, Irish Blue Terrier, Irish bouzouki, Irish coffee, Irish cream, Irish diamond, Irish exit, Irish goodbye, Irish harp, Irish hint, Irish Hobby, Irish horse, Irish hospitality, Irish joke, Irish linen, Irishly, Irish mile, Irish nacho, Irish pub, Irish question, Irish soda bread, Irishtown, Irish twin, Irish up, Irish water spaniel, Irish wolfhound, Northern Irish, weep Irish