uisce beatha
/ˈiʃcə ˈbʲahə/masculine
The English phrase 'whiskey' is translated into Irish as uisce beatha. Wiktionary also lists fuisce.
Meaning: alcoholic drink (noun)
Ways to say it
| Irish | IPA | Note |
|---|---|---|
| uisce beatha | /ˈiʃcə ˈbʲahə/ | masculine |
| fuisce | /ˈfˠɪʃcɪ/ | masculine |
fuisce specifically refers to distilled alcoholic beverages like whiskey, vodka or gin.
What does it mean word for word?
The term uisce beatha literally means 'water of life'.
Which one should you use?
uisce beatha is the standard term, while fuisce is a common colloquial shortening used in speech.
How does it change in a sentence?
The word fuisce is a masculine noun. When using the definite article, an fuisce is used to mean 'the whiskey'.
How do you pronounce it?
/ˈiʃcə ˈbʲahə/
Did you know?
- While uisce beatha is the formal name, the word fuisce was borrowed back into Irish from the English word 'whiskey'.
- The term uisce beatha was originally used to describe the distilled spirit as a medicinal elixir rather than just a beverage.
- The word uisce is a cognate of the Scottish Gaelic word uisge, showing how closely related the two languages are.
Examples in context
- An bhfuil uisce beatha agat?Do you have whiskey?
- Is uisce beatha é sin.That is whiskey.
Example conversation
Cian and Saoirse are chatting in a kitchen.
- CianAn dteastaíonn uisce beatha uait, a Saoirse?Do you want some whiskey, Saoirse?
- SaoirseBa bháinn, go raibh maith agat.I would, thank you.
- CianSeo uisce beatha an best.This is the best whiskey.
- SaoirseTá blas iontach air.It tastes wonderful.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “whiskey” translations and entries uisce beatha, fuisce, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries beatha, fuisce, uisce, uisce beatha, CC BY-SA 4.0.
