Now updated for CSW19. New words, if any, and new inflections of existing words, are shown in red.
abthane | a monastic region of the old Irish church. |
acushla | an Irish term of address, darling. |
aisling | a vision or dream. |
alannah | my child, a term of endearment used with one's child. |
alpeen | a cudgel. |
angashore | a miserable person given to complaining |
arrah | an Anglo-Irish exclamation expressing wonder etc. |
ardri ardrigh | a title given to the High King of Ireland. [Irishard, noble + ri, king]. |
asthore | sweetheart. |
bainin bawneen | a type of wool produced in Ireland that is only partially scoured and so retains some natural oil. [Ir. bainin, homespun]. |
banshee banshie | in Irish folklore, a female spirit who wails and shrieks before the death of a member of a family. |
barmbrack barnbrack | a currant bun. |
bawn | the fortification round a house, an enclosure for cattle. [Ir. babhun, enclosure]. |
bedad | an Irish oath, = by God. |
begorah begorrah begorra | an interjection attributed to Irish speakers. |
bejabers | another interjection attributed to Irish speakers, = by Jesus! |
bibe | a type of banshee whose crying is an omen of death [Irish badbh]. |
blarney | skilful flattery; nonsense, humbug; (verb) to flatter, humbug. [Blarney Castle, near Cork, where a stone difficult to reach is said to confer the gift of persuasive talk on those who kiss it]. |
bodhran | a shallow one-sided drum used in Celtic music. |
bodrag bordraging | a hostile attack, a raid. [Irish buaidreadh]. |
bonnyclabber | milk naturally clotted on souring. [Irish bainne, milk, + claba, thick]. |
boreen | a lane. |
bosthoon | a boor |
bowsie bowsey | a mean person |
boxty | an Irish dish of potato griddle-cakes, eaten with various fillings |
brehon | a judge or magistrate in ancient Ireland. [Irish breitheamh]. |
broguery | the use of an Irish accent. |
buckeen | a poor man who acts as if wealthy. |
cain kain | rent paid in kind. [Irish cain]. |
camogie | an Irish game, a form of hurling, played by women. |
carageen carrageen carragheen | a kind of dark red, branched seaweed; Irish moss. [Irish carraigin, little rock]. |
chiefery chiefry cheverye | an Irish chieftaincy. |
claddagh | an Irish ring |
coarb comarb | the head of a family in an Irish sept; an ecclesiastical successor. |
colcannon | an Irish country dish of potatoes and cabbage. |
colleen | an Irish girl. [Ir. cailín dim. of caile countrywoman, girl]. |
corcass | a salt-marsh, or land susceptible to flooding by a river. [Irish corcach]. |
coshery | the ancient right of an Irish chieftain to quarter himself on his tenants. [Irish coisir, feast]. |
cottier | an Irish tenant. |
craic | pleasant conversation |
cratur crathur craythur | a woman; whiskey |
crios | a multi-coloured woollen belt worn by men in the Aran islands > CRIOSES |
croppy | an Irish rebel of 1798. |
crubeen | a pig's trotter, as food. [Irish crub, hoof]. |
cuddy | the right of a lord to entertainment from his tenant. |
culchie | a rustic, a country labourer. |
currach curagh curragh | a long-shaped boat similar to a coracle. [Irish curach]. |
dawney | dull or slow |
donnybrook | a brawl. |
drisheen | a type of Irish sausage made with sheep's blood. |
duan | a division of a poem, a canto. |
dudeen dudheen | a clay pipe. [Ir. duidin, dim. of duid, pipe]. |
eric eriach erick | a blood-fine paid by a murderer in old Irish law. |
fainne | a ring-shaped badge worn to show suport for the Irish language |
feen | an informal word for a man |
feis | an ancient Irish assembly for the proclamation of laws etc > FEISEANNA. |
fiorin | a type of grass. [Irish fiorthan]. |
fleadh | a festival of Irish traditional music, dancing, etc. |
fraughan | the whortleberry |
galloglass gallowglass | the irregular infantry of Ireland, and the Highlands of Scotland. [Ir. galloglach, from gall, foreign + oglach, soldier]. |
galore | an abundnace. [Irish go, a prefix, + leor, sufficiency]. |
garda | an Irish policeman > GARDAI. |
garran garron | a type of small horse. |
gillaroo | an Irish trout with a thickened muscular stomach. [Irish giolla ruadh, red lad]. |
gombeen | usury; chiefly used attributively as in gombeen-man, a money-lender, usurer. |
hooley | a boisterous party. |
hooligan | a lout, named after a notorious Irish family. |
jabers | in the Irish oath be jabers, = Jesus. |
jackeen | a person from Dublin, esp. one with a parochial attitude. |
kerry | one of an Irish breed of cattle. |
leprechaun | a small supernatural creature. |
limerick | a form of humorous verse in a five-line jingle. [Said to be from a refrain formerly used, referring to Limerick in Ireland]. |
lough | a lake. |
louser | a mean nasty person |
machree | (Anglo-Irish) an affectionate form of address, my dear. |
maormor mormaor | a Celtic nobleman. |
mavourneen mavournin | my dear one. |
moryah | an exclamation of annoyance, disbelief etc |
musha | an exclamation of surprise. |
oanshagh | a foolish woman or girl |
ohone ochone | an Irish interjection of lamentation. |
ogam ogham | a 6th C. Irish writing alphabet. |
ogmic ogamic oghamic | relating to OGAM, a 6th C. Irish writing alphabet. |
ollav ollamh | an Irish master poet. |
ologoan | to complain loudly without reason. |
omadhaun | a fool, idiot, simpleton. [Irish amadan]. |
patrick | a 17C Irish halfpenny. |
pisheog pishoge pishogue | sorcery. [Ir. piseog]. |
planxty | an Irish or Welsh melody for the harp, sometimes of a mournful character. |
pollan | a whitefish, plentiful in Irish loughs. |
pooka | in Irish folklore, a malevolent goblin. |
poteen potteen potheen poitin | illicitly distilled Irish whisky. [Ir. poitin, little pot]. |
praiseach | a kind of oatmeal porridge. [Irish, from brassica, cabbage]. |
praty pratie | (Irish coll.) potato. |
pucan | a traditional Connemara open sailing boat |
rapparee | a wild Irish plunderer, esp. one of the 17th century; -- so called from his carrying a half-pike, in Irish rapaire. |
rawmaish | wild dissolute talk |
rath | an Irish hill-fort. |
scraw | a thin sod or turf. [Ir. sgrath]. |
seannachie shanachie | a traditional storyteller. |
shagroon | an early settler in New Zealand of other than British origin. [Irish seachran, wandering]. |
shamus | a private detective |
shandrydan | an Irish two-wheeled cart; jocular, any worn-out antique vehicle. |
shebean shebeen | an illicit liquor shop; SHEBEEN can also be used as a verb: to keep in a shebeen. |
shelta | a secret jargon used by vagrants in Britain and Ireland. [Shelru, poss a perversion of OIr béulra language]. |
shillala shillelagh shillalah shillelah | an Irish cudgel. |
shinty | an Irish game resembling hockey. |
shoneen | an Irishman who imitates the ways and manners of the English. |
sidh sidhe | fairy people |
skanger | a young working-class person who wears casual clothes |
slainte | an Irish drinking toast: your health. No plural. |
sleeveen | a crafty, smooth-talking person. |
slieve | a mountain |
sliotar | a ball used in hurling |
slumgullion | a watery meat stew. |
sorehon | an ancient Irish exaction of free accommodation by a lord of a tenant. |
sorra | sorrow, the devil. |
spalpeen | a scamp; a good-for-nothing fellow. |
stalko | (Anglo-Irish) a gentleman without fortune or occupation > STALKOES or STALKOS. |
stelk | an Irish dish of onions and mashed potatoes. |
stim | a very small amount |
stocious stotious | (Irish slang) drunk, intoxicated. |
streel | to trail, stream. |
sugan | a straw rope |
swaddler | a term of contempt for an Irish Methodist. |
tanaiste | in Irish politics, the vice-Taoiseach or deputy prime minister of the Republic of Ireland. |
tanist | a Celtic chief's heir elect. [Ir. tanaiste, heir]. |
tanistry | the system of succession by a previously elected member of the family. [Ir. tanaiste, heir]. |
toiseach toisech toshach | a Celtic nobleman. |
trouse | Irish close-fitting trews. |
tuath | a tribe, a people. |
turlough | a pond that dries up in summer. |
uillean uilleann | as in uillean pipes, a kind of bagpipes |
voteen | a devotee. |
wisha | an interjection expressing surprise. [Irish mhuis]. |
wojus | of poor quality. |