Inbhir Nis
/ˌiɲɪɾʲ ˈɲiʃ/
Inverness is the name of a city in Scotland, translated into Gaelic as Inbhir Nis.
Meaning: city in Scotland (name)
What does it mean word for word?
The name is composed of Inbhir, meaning the mouth of a river or a confluence and Nis, referring to the River Ness.
How do you pronounce it?
/ˌiɲɪɾʲ ˈɲiʃ/
Did you know?
- The Gaelic inbhir shares a deep ancestral root with the English word 'bear' in the sense of carrying something.
- If you were looking for a place called 'Inver' anywhere in the Gaelic-speaking world, you would be looking for the mouth or confluence of a river. The term inbhir acts as a prefix for many coastal settlements.
Examples in context
- Tha Inbhir Nis gu math mòr.Inverness is quite large.
- An tèid thu gu Inbhir Nis?Are you going to Inverness?
- Chuir mi fios gu Inbhir Nis.I sent word to Inverness.
Example conversation
Mairead and Callum are discussing travel plans.
- MaireadCàite a bheil thu a' rashgaidh an t-samhradh?Where are you spending the summer?
- CallumTha mi a' dol gu Inbhir Nis.I am going to Inverness.
- MaireadTha sin sgoialach, a Callum!That is exciting, Callum!
- CallumTha mi ag iarraidh an t-saoghal a faicinn.I want to see the world.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “inverness” translations and entries Inbhir Nis, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries Inbhir Nis, inbhir, CC BY-SA 4.0.
