gadaí
/ɡəˈd̪ˠiː/masculine
The Irish word for thief is gadaí.
gadaí is a masculine noun used to refer to one who carries out theft.
Meaning: one who carries out theft (noun)
How does it change in a sentence?
The plural form of gadaí is also gadaí. To say 'the thief', you add the definite article an before the word.
How do you pronounce it?
/ɡəˈd̪ˠiː/
Did you know?
- Under the ancient Brehon Laws, a gadaí who stole from a church faced significantly harsher penalties than someone stealing from a private home.
- The term gadaí can be used in Irish poetry to describe a lover as someone who steals the heart of another.
- The word gadaí is actually a descendant of the Old Irish word gataige, which comes from the root gait, meaning 'the act of taking away'.
Examples in context
- Is gadaí í.She is a thief.This sentence is useful for showing how to identify a person as a gadaí.Tatoeba #8239956 by SadeceTurkce, translation #8211830 by shekitten
- Chonaic mé gadaí sa ghairdín.I saw a thief in the garden.
Example conversation
Saoirse and Cathal are discussing a missing wallet.
- SaoirseCathal, tá mo spiorad go bhfuil gadaí ansin.Cathal, I suspect there is a thief there.
- CathalAn bhfuil tú cinnte, a Saoirse?Are you sure, Saoirse?
- SaoirseTá, chonaic mé an gadaí leis an spiorad.Yes, I saw the thief with the wallet.
- CathalTabhair glaoch ar an Gardaí láithreach.Call the police immediately.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “thief” translations and entries gadaí, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries gadaí, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
