deas
/dʲasˠ/
The Irish word for pretty is deas.
deas is an adjective used to describe someone or something as pleasant, attractive or pretty, especially when referring to women and children. In general contexts, it is more frequently used to mean nice, pleasant or neat.
Meaning: especially of women and children: pleasant, attractive (adj)
Which one should you use?
While deas can be used to mean pretty or attractive, it is more frequently used to mean nice, pleasant or neat. For a more informal way to say 'cute' or to describe something lovely, you might use gleoite.
How do you pronounce it?
/dʲasˠ/
Did you know?
- The word deas shares a common ancestor with the Latin word 'dexter', which gives English the word 'dexterity'.
- The shift from meaning 'right' to meaning 'pretty' reflects an ancient cultural association where the right side was considered the auspicious or 'correct' side.
- In many dialects, if you describe a person as deas, you might actually be commenting on their pleasant personality rather than their physical beauty.
Examples in context
- Nílim go deas.I'm not pretty.This sentence shows how to use deas in a negative statement.Tatoeba #4857795 by Choctaw_Irish, translation #4214752 by geebee60
- Tá an bláthán seo go h-álainnThis flower is very pretty.
- Is cailín deas í.She is a pretty girl.
- Tá an leanbh deas.The baby is pretty.
Example conversation
Saoirse and Cathal are looking at a photo of a baby.
- SaoirseAn bhfuil an leanbh go deas?Is the baby pretty?
- CathalTá, tá sí an-deas!Yes, she is very pretty!
- SaoirseIs iontach í.She is wonderful.
- CathalTá sí cosúil leat, a Saoirse.She looks like you, Saoirse.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “pretty” translations and entries deas, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries deas, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
