bainne
/ˈbˠaɲə/masculine
The Irish word for milk is bainne.
The word bainne is a masculine noun used to refer to the liquid milk.
Meaning: liquid (noun)
Related words
How does it change in a sentence?
You use the bare form bainne when referring to milk in a general sense or as an uncountable mass, such as when saying you are drinking milk.
How do you pronounce it?
/ˈbˠaɲə/
Did you know?
- Traditional Irish folklore once suggested that certain spirits or fairies could 'sour' bainne if they were offended.
- The Irish word for 'cream' is uachtar, which literally translates to 'upper part' because cream rises to the top of the bainne.
- The word bainne originally meant a 'drop' in Old Irish, likely referring to a single drop of liquid.
Examples in context
- Gheofá bainne a bhaint as na ba.You could get milk from the cows.This sentence shows how to express the idea of getting milk from cows using bainne.Tatoeba #7290675 by anrialach, translation #7290677 by anrialach
- Tá mé ag ól bainne.I'm drinking milk.This sentence is useful for describing the act of drinking milk using bainne.Tatoeba #3132270 by JimiYoru, translation #3132269 by CK
- Ólann sé bainne agus ólaimid uisce.He drinks milk and we drink water.This sentence demonstrates a comparison between drinking milk and water using bainne.Tatoeba #7075964 by azraelgnosis, translation #7075965 by azraelgnosis
- Is maith liom bainneI like milk
- Tá bainne ag teastáil uaimI need milk
- An bhfuil báirín breac agat?Do you have any milk?
- 1 more sentence on Tatoeba
Example conversation
Siobhán and Oisín are in the kitchen preparing tea.
- SiobhánAn bhfuil bainne agat?Do you have milk?
- OisínNíl, tá an bainne go léir imithe.No, all the milk is gone.
- SiobhánÓlann tú an t-uisce ansin?Will you drink the water there?
- OisínTá, ach ba mhaith liom bainne.Yes, but I would like milk.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “milk” translations and entries bainne, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries bainne, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
