bricfeasta
/bʲɾʲɛcˈfˠɑːsˠt̪ˠə/masculine
bricfeasta is the Irish word for breakfast. Wiktionary also lists céadphroinn and béile maidine.
Meaning: first meal of the day (noun)
Ways to say it
| Irish | IPA | Note |
|---|---|---|
| bricfeasta | /bʲɾʲɛcˈfˠɑːsˠt̪ˠə/ (Munster) /ˈbʲɾʲicfʲɔsˠt̪ˠə/ (Ulster) |
masculine |
| céadphroinn | feminine | |
| béile maidine | masculine | |
| cuid na maidine | feminine |
These terms all refer to the first meal of the day.
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase béile maidine is a literal way to say 'morning meal', where béile means 'meal' and maidine means 'of the morning'.
Which one should you use?
bricfeasta is a loanword from English, whereas béile maidine is a native Irish construction. The pack also provides the feminine forms céadphroinn and cuid na maidine.
How does it change in a sentence?
As a masculine noun, bricfeasta takes the definite article an in the nominative case (an bricfeasta).
How do you pronounce it?
/bʲɾʲɛcˈfˠɑːsˠt̪ˠə/
Did you know?
- In the word béile, the 'b' is actually a linguistic oddity caused by people misinterpreting how the word was traditionally mutated.
- Depending on the word chosen, the term for 'breakfast' can change gender, meaning it might be masculine like bricfeasta or feminine like céadphroinn.
- The phrase cuid na maidine uses the word cuid, which means 'part' or 'portion', to describe breakfast.
Examples in context
- Téim ag ithe bricfeasta gach lá.I have breakfast every day.
- Cén cineál bricfeasta is fearr leat?What kind of breakfast do you like best?
Example conversation
A couple is in the kitchen in the morning.
- CianAn bhfuil bricfeasta réidh, Siobhán?Is breakfast ready, Siobhán?
- SiobhánTá, an bhfuil tú réidh?Yes, are you ready?
- CianTá mé réidh anois.I am ready now.
- SiobhánGo maith, Cian.Good, Cian.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “breakfast” translations and entries bricfeasta, céadphroinn, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries bricfeasta, béile, cuid, céadphroinn, CC BY-SA 4.0.
