dia
/tʲia/masculine
The Gaelic word for God is dia.
The word dia is a masculine noun used to refer to a deity. When used as a proper noun to refer specifically to the monotheistic God or the single male deity of duotheism, it is written with a capital letter as Dia.
Meaning: deity (noun)
Which one should you use?
The lowercase dia refers to a general God or deity, while the capitalized Dia refers specifically to the monotheistic God.
Is it said differently in some regions?
In parts of Ireland, particularly the western regions, a traditional way of addressing God is A Thiarna.
Related words
How does it change in a sentence?
When you are referring to the specific monotheistic God, you should capitalize the word as a proper noun: Dia.
How do you pronounce it?
/tʲia/
Did you know?
- The most common greeting in Irish, Dia duit, literally translates to 'God be with you'.
- The Gaelic word dia is a distant relative of the Latin word 'deus' and the Sanskrit word 'deva'.
- In traditional Gaelic folklore, 'gods' were often blended with the 'Tuatha Dé Danann', whose name means 'People of the Goddess Danu'.
Examples in context
- Chruthaich Dia e.God created him.This sentence shows the use of dia in the context of creation.Tatoeba #4000313 by turklehceleri, translation #3994414 by Ricardo14
- Chruthaich Dia i.God created her.Tatoeba #4000316 by turklehceleri, translation #3994415 by Ricardo14
- Chruthaich Dia mi.God created me.Tatoeba #4000315 by turklehceleri, translation #3994413 by Ricardo14
- 1 more sentence on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Angus and Isla are talking about their beliefs.
- AngusAn creid thu ann am Dia?Do you believe in God?
- IslaTha, creidim ann am Dia.Yes, I believe in God.
- AngusTha Dia goirdeaich.God is merciful.
- IslaTha sin true, a Angus.That is true, Angus.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “God” translations and entries dia, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries dia, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
