seansailéir
masculine
The Irish word for the head of government in some German-speaking countries, chancellor, is seansailéir.
The term refers specifically to the political office of a chancellor in certain German-speaking nations.
Meaning: head of government in some German-speaking countries (noun)
Did you know?
- The word seansailéir is a phonetic loanword, meaning it was constructed by Irish speakers to mimic the sound of the English word 'chancellor'.
- While seansailéir describes a political leader today, the original root refers to a screen or grate, showing how a word for a physical barrier became a word for a powerful mediator.
- In Irish, seansailéir is used for the German 'Kanzler', but the Irish head of government is called Taoiseach, a word that has no direct English equivalent.
Example sentences for Irish are not verified yet.
Example conversation
Niamh and Cian are discussing European politics.
- NiamhCé is an seansailéir anois?Who is the chancellor now?
- CianNíl mé cinnte, a Niamh.I am not sure, Niamh.
- NiamhFeach an nuacht faoi an seansailéir.Look at the news about the chancellor.
- CianTá sé ansin, a Niamh.It is there, Niamh.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “chancellor” translations and entries seansailéir, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
