foighne
/ˈfˠəinʲə/
The Irish word for patience is foighne.
foighne refers to the quality of being patient.
Meaning: quality of being patient (noun)
How does it change in a sentence?
foighne is a feminine noun.
How do you pronounce it?
/ˈfˠəinʲə/
Did you know?
- The word foighne evolved from a conflation of two different Old Irish terms: foidhidnighe and foidhide.
Examples in context
- Níor éirigh linn an foighne a choinneáil.We did not succeed in keeping our patience.
Example conversation
Niamh and Cathal are waiting in a long queue.
- NiamhTá an líne seo an-fhada, a Chathail.This line is very long, Cathal.
- CathalTá mé ag coinneáil mo foighne.I am keeping my patience.
- NiamhAn bhfuil foighne agat go fóill?Do you still have patience?
- CathalTá, ach tá mé tuirseach.I do, but I am tired.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “patience” translations and entries foighne, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries foighne, CC BY-SA 4.0.
