bastard
The Irish word for bastard is bastard.
The term is used to refer to a contemptible or unpleasant person.
Meaning: contemptible etc. person (noun)
How does it change in a sentence?
When using the loanword bastard in an Irish sentence, it follows the pattern of masculine nouns and takes the article an to mean 'the bastard'.
Did you know?
- In certain Irish-speaking communities, calling someone a bastard using the English loanword is often seen as a sign of playful or casual banter rather than a genuine, deep-seated insult.
- The word bastard was borrowed into Irish from Middle English, which had previously taken it from Old French.
- While bastard describes a person's character, a native Irish speaker would typically use a completely different term to refer to someone's actual birth status.
Example conversation
Conor is complaining to Niamh about a coworker.
- ConorChuir sé an obair go léir uaim, an bastard.He put all the work on me, the bastard.
- NiamhAn bhfuil túu sure faoi é?Are you sure about him?
- ConorTá mé, is bastard é.I am, he is a bastard.
- NiamhNí féidir liom creidiú leis.I can't believe him.
Sources
- Pronunciation: Wiktionary entry bastard, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries bastard, CC BY-SA 4.0.
