Irish

American  

[ahy-rish] / ˈaɪ rɪʃ /

adjective

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

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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.

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.

Irish British  

/ ˈaɪrɪʃ /

adjective

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

2. informal ludicrous or illogical

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noun

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

2. another name for Irish Gaelic

Irish More Idioms  

1. see luck of the devil (Irish).

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Sensitive Note

See Irish pennant.

Other Word Forms

• Irishly adverb
• anti-Irish adjective
• half-Irish adjective
• non-Irish adjective
• pre-Irish adjective
• pro-Irish adjective
• pseudo-Irish adjective

Etymology

Origin of Irish

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

Example Sentences

They aren’t the only victims of bigotry in American history and modern America; Italians and Irish immigrants had their turn, too.

From Los Angeles Times

Last week a judge lifted an interim ban on the 67-year-old Irish dancer and choreographer being involved in forthcoming shows.

From BBC

With Tadgh Furlong still not fully fit, Farrell said he was not prepared to risk the British and Irish Lion for this game.

From Barron's

"We will see on Thursday if that has given us a strong base to keep the Irish out of our 22."

From Barron's

British and Irish Lions captain Itoje missed the start of England's training camp in Spain to attend the funeral of his mother Florence in Nigeria.

From Barron's