uisce beatha
/ˈiʃcə ˈbʲahə/
uisce beatha is the Irish phrase for water of life.
While it literally means 'water of life', it is the standard term used to refer to whiskey in Irish.
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase is a compound of uisce (water) and beatha (life).
How does it change in a sentence?
Adding the definite article na (the) results in uisce na beatha, which is a common variation used to mean 'the water of life'.
How do you pronounce it?
/ˈiʃcə ˈbʲahə/
Did you know?
- Because uisce beatha is used to mean 'whiskey', someone asking for 'water of life' in a pub might receive a glass of strong spirits rather than a refreshing drink.
- The phrase uisce beatha is a direct translation of the Medieval Latin 'aqua vitae'.
- While uisce beatha refers to whiskey today, the Latin 'aqua vītae' originally referred to concentrated ethanol used as a medicinal tonic.
Examples in context
- Bain taitneamh as an uisce beathaEnjoy the water of life
- Níl a fhios agam faoi uisce beathaI don't know about whiskey
- An dtabharfá dom píosa den uisce beo?Would you give me a bit of the water of life?
- An bhfuil uisce beatha agat?Do you have any whiskey?
- Is maith an uisce beatha é seo.This is a good whiskey.
- Thug sé uisce beatha dó.He gave him some whiskey.
Example conversation
Cian and Siobhán are relaxing by a fireplace.
- CianAn dteastaíonn uisce beatha uait, a Siobhán?Do you want some water of life, Siobhán?
- SiobhánBa bháinn mé glas go léir, a Chiane.I would like a whole glass, Cian.
- CianSeo an uisce beatha is fearr.This is the best water of life.
- SiobhánTá sé an-teasa agus go hálainn.It is very warm and lovely.
Sources
- Pronunciation: Wiktionary entry uisce beatha, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries beatha, uisce, uisce beatha, CC BY-SA 4.0.
