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Hibernicism

American  
[hahy-bur-nuh-siz-uhm] / haɪˈbɜr nəˌsɪz əm /
Also Hibernianism

noun

  1. an idiom or characteristic peculiar to Irish English or to the Irish.


Hibernicism British  
/ haɪˈbɜːnɪˌsɪzəm, haɪˈbɜːnɪəˌnɪzəm /

noun

  1. an Irish expression, idiom, trait, custom, etc

"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

Etymology

Origin of Hibernicism

1750–60; < Medieval Latin Hibernic ( us ) Hibernian ( Hibern ( ia ) Hibernia + -icus -ic ) + -ism

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

See Examples For:

And this fine impressibility of nature, which needs no statistics, when it is combined with genius,—if we may be pardoned an Hibernicism which almost writes itself,—may be said to create its own statistics.

From The Atlantic Monthly, Volume 11, No. 65, March, 1863 by Various

The monotype machine is, to use a Hibernicism, two machines, which, though quite separate and unrelated, are yet mutually interdependent and necessary the one to the other.

From The Building of a Book A Series of Practical Articles Written by Experts in the Various Departments of Book Making and Distributing by Hitchcock, Frederick H.

“Would a duck swim?” said I, using an expressive Hibernicism.

From She and I, Volume 2 A Love Story. A Life History. by Hutcheson, John C. (John Conroy)

Not that they loved society less, but solitude more; especially, to use a Hibernicism, when that solitude was shared.

From An Algonquin Maiden A Romance of the Early Days of Upper Canada by Wetherald, A. Ethelwyn

Of course, the answer, though it sounds like an Hibernicism, is to say that they do have a creed.

From Our Unitarian Gospel by Savage, Minot J. (Minot Judson)

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