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Irish

[ahy-rish]

adjective

  1. of, relating to, or characteristic of Ireland, its inhabitants, or their language.



noun

  1. the inhabitants of Ireland and their descendants elsewhere.

  2. the aboriginal Celtic-speaking people of Ireland.

  3. Also called Irish Gaelic.the Celtic language of Ireland in its historical or modern form. Ir, Ir.

  4. Irish English.

  5. Irish whiskey.

Irish

/ ˈɪɪʃ /

adjective

  1. of, relating to, or characteristic of Ireland, its people, their Celtic language, or their dialect of English

  2. informalludicrous or illogical

“Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged” 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

noun

  1. (functioning as plural) the natives or inhabitants of Ireland

  2. another name for Irish Gaelic

“Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged” 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
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Sensitive Note

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Other Word Forms

  • Irishly adverb
  • anti-Irish adjective
  • half-Irish adjective
  • non-Irish adjective
  • pre-Irish adjective
  • pro-Irish adjective
  • pseudo-Irish adjective
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Word History and Origins

Origin of Irish1

First recorded in 1175–1225; Middle English Yrisse, Iris(c)h; compare Old English Ī people of Ireland (cognate with Old Norse Ī ); -ish 1
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Idioms and Phrases

Idioms
  1. get one's Irish up, to become angry or outraged.

    Don't go getting your Irish up over a little matter like that.

see luck of the devil (Irish).
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Example Sentences

Examples have not been reviewed.

He made 256 appearances for the north London side, as well as playing 112 games for England and winning six Test caps for the British and Irish lions.

From

It provided accommodation for unmarried mothers and their children during a period when women were ostracised by Irish society, and often by their own families, if they became pregnant outside marriage.

From

The Irish Embassy Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade previously said it was "aware of the case" and was "providing consular assistance".

From

Russell, who will now tour Australia with the British and Irish Lions, has been a key figure in a dominant season for Bath.

From

Mark Drakeford, the Welsh government's language secretary, said political agreement on Irish would be "healing rather than divisive".

From

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Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.

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