béar
/bʲeːɾˠ/masculine
The Irish word for bear is béar. Wiktionary also lists mathúin.
Meaning: large mammal of family Ursidae (noun)
Ways to say it
| Irish | IPA | Note |
|---|---|---|
| béar | /bʲeːɾˠ/ | masculine |
| mathúin | /ˈmˠahuːnʲ/ | masculine |
The term refers to the large mammal of the family Ursidae.
Which one should you use?
mathúin is a literary form.
Related words
How does it change in a sentence?
The noun béar is masculine. The form mathúin is also masculine.
How do you pronounce it?
/bʲeːɾˠ/
Did you know?
- The word béar is an example of a linguistic loan, as it was borrowed directly from English into Irish.
- In Irish folklore, the bear is often associated with strength and protection, despite the animal not living in the wild on the island.
- Unlike the English 'bear', which has deep Germanic roots, the older Irish form mathúin belongs to a completely different linguistic family, the Celtic family.
Examples in context
- Chonaic mé béar sa choill.I saw a bear in the forest.
- An béar sin an-mhór.That bear is very large.
- Tá an béar ag iarraidh bia.The bear is looking for food.
Example conversation
Aoife and Conor are visiting a zoo.
- AoifeAn bhfuil an béar ansin, a Chonaire?Is the bear there, Conor?
- ConorTá, tá sé ag codladh.Yes, it is sleeping.
- AoifeIs é an béar an ainmhí is fearr liom.The bear is my favorite animal.
- ConorIs iontach iad iad go definitív.They are definitely wonderful.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “bear” translations and entries béar, mathúin, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries béar, mathúin, CC BY-SA 4.0.
