antlás
masculine
The English phrase 'greed' is translated into Irish as antlás. Wiktionary also lists gionach and saint.
Meaning: selfish desire for more than is needed (noun)
Ways to say it
| Irish | IPA | Note |
|---|---|---|
| antlás | masculine | |
| gionach | feminine | |
| saint | /sˠɑinʲtʲ/ (Munster) /sˠɪn̠ʲtʲ/ (Ulster) |
feminine |
The term refers to the selfish desire for more than is needed.
Which one should you use?
antlás is a masculine noun, while gionach and saint are feminine forms.
How does it change in a sentence?
antlás is a masculine noun. The forms gionach and saint are feminine.
Did you know?
- While many people think of 'saint' as a holy person in English, the Irish saint is a feminine noun used to describe greed.
- The word saint may be related to seoid, which means 'jewel'. This suggests a linguistic link between the desire for wealth and the objects of wealth themselves.
- While antlás is a general term for greed, gionach carries a stronger connotation of voracity or an insatiable appetite.
Example sentences for Irish are not verified yet.
Example conversation
Oisín and Aoife are discussing a wealthy businessman.
- OisínTá an fear sin an-saibhéir.That man is very rich.
- AoifeTá sé lán le antlás.He is full of greed.
- OisínAn bhfuil sé sásta?Is he happy?
- AoifeNí féidir a bheith sásta le hantlás.You cannot be happy with greed.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “greed” translations and entries antlás, gionach, saint, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries gionach, saint, CC BY-SA 4.0.
