uisge-beatha
/ˈɯʃkʲəˈpɛhə/masculine
The Gaelic word for whiskey is uisge-beatha.
uisge-beatha is a masculine noun used to refer to the alcoholic drink known as whiskey.
Meaning: alcoholic drink (noun)
What does it mean word for word?
This word is a compound term. The first part, uisge, means "water" and the second part, beatha, means "life".
How do you pronounce it?
/ˈɯʃkʲəˈpɛhə/
When do people say it?
The term literally translates to "water of life".
Did you know?
- The word 'uisce' in Old Irish, the predecessor to 'uisge', is the root of the modern English word 'whiskey' itself.
- In some contexts, uisge-beatha was historically used to describe potent medicinal spirits rather than just a recreational drink.
Examples in context
- "An gabh thu uisge-beatha neo fìon?" "Cha gabh idir, tapadh leat.""Would you like whiskey or wine?" "I'll pass, thank you."Tatoeba #5918880 by Catriona, translation #5918882 by Catriona
- A bheil uisge beatha agad?Do you have whiskey?
Example conversation
Hamish and Mairead are chatting in a living room.
- HamishA bheil uisge-beatha agad, a Mhairead?Do you have any whiskey, Mairead?
- MaireadTha, tha bòtlach an seo.Yes, there is a bottle here.
- HamishGabh mi glais uisge-beatha, mas قلب.I'll have a glass of whiskey, please.
- MaireadSeo e, a Hamish.Here it is, Hamish.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “whiskey” translations and entries uisge-beatha, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries uisge-beatha, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
