briste
/ˈbʲɾʲiʃtʲə/
The Irish word for smashed is briste.
The term is used to describe something that has been broken into many small pieces, such as glass or ceramics.
Which one should you use?
Scriostha is a formal term for smashed in Irish.
How do you pronounce it?
/ˈbʲɾʲiʃtʲə/
Did you know?
- While briste means 'broken', the related verb bris is used to describe the act of breaking a promise or a law, not just physical objects.
- While briste is used for physical breakage, it is also frequently used in Irish to describe a person's spirit or health being 'broken' or exhausted.
- If you were to say something is 'smashed' in the sense of being drunk, you would not use briste, but would instead use a completely different slang term.
Examples in context
- Tá an gloine briste.The glass is smashed.
Example conversation
Cathal and Niamh are cleaning up in the kitchen.
- CathalA Niamh, an bhfuil an phláta briste?Niamh, is the plate smashed?
- NiamhTá, tá sé briste ina phíosaí beaga.Yes, it is smashed into small pieces.
- CathalNá teagair ansin, bháfaí tú.Don't go there, you'll get hurt.
- NiamhTá an t-uirlár glan anois, a Chathal.The floor is clean now, Cathal.
Sources
- Pronunciation: Wiktionary entry briste, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
