gabhar
/ɡɑuɾˠ/masculine
The Irish word for goat is gabhar.
gabhar refers to the animal (goat).
Meaning: animal (noun)
Which one should you use?
While gabhar is the standard term, you may encounter Gabhairín when specifically referring to a young or small goat.
How do you pronounce it?
/ɡɑuɾˠ/
Did you know?
- The word gabhar shares a common ancient ancestor with the Latin word caper, which is where English gets the word 'capricious'.
- Unlike English, which uses 'goat' for both genders, Irish traditionally has distinct ways to specify a male or female gabhar in agricultural contexts.
Examples in context
- Tá gabhar sa ghaird.There is a goat in the garden.
- Feiceann mé gabhar beag.I see a small goat.
Example conversation
Saoirse and Oisín are walking past a farm.
- SaoirseSeo gabhair bhána, a Oisín!These are white goats, Oisín!
- OisínIs mór an gabhar sin.That goat is big.
- SaoirseAn bhfuil gabhar agat féin?Do you have a goat yourself?
- OisínNíl gabhar ar bith agam.I don't have any goat at all.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “goat” translations and entries gabhar, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries gabhar, CC BY-SA 4.0.
