cathaoir
/kɑˈhiːɾʲ/feminine
The Irish word for chair is cathaoir.
cathaoir refers to the piece of furniture used for sitting. It is also used to mean 'chairperson' or 'chairman' when referring to someone in a formal or organizational context.
Meaning: furniture (noun)
How does it change in a sentence?
In a formal or organizational context, cathaoir can be used to denote the position of a chairperson.
How do you pronounce it?
/kɑˈhiːɾʲ/
Did you know?
- The word cathaoir is a cognate of the English word 'cathedral'. Both derive from the Latin word for a seat of authority.
- While cathaoir is the standard word for a chair, Irish historically used different terms for benches or stools, reflecting a time when single-person chairs were rare symbols of status.
- The Irish language has a specific system of 'initial mutations' where the first letter of cathaoir can change to g in certain grammatical cases.
Examples in context
- Tá mé ag suí ar an gcathaoirI am sitting on the chair
- An bhfuil tú sásta leis an gcathaoir seo?Are you happy with this chair?
Example conversation
Conor and Saoirse are arranging a room.
- ConorCá bhfuil a cathaoir?Where is his chair?
- SaoirseTá sí sa chónaí.It is in the corner.
- ConorBog an cathaoir anseo, le do thoil.Move the chair here, please.
- SaoirseTá sí ró-trom, a Chonaire!It is too heavy, Conor!
Sources
- Wiktionary, “chair” translations and entries cathaoir, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries cathaoir, CC BY-SA 4.0.
