Deirdre
English
Alternative forms
Etymology
From Irish Deirdre, from Old Irish Derdriu.
Pronunciation
- (Republic of Ireland) IPA(key): /ˈdeːɹdɹə/
- (UK) IPA(key): /ˈdɪədɹi/, /ˈdɪədɹə/
Audio (Southern England): (file) - (US) IPA(key): /ˈdɪɹdɹə/, /ˈdɪɹdɹi/
Proper noun
Deirdre
- (Irish mythology) The foremost tragic heroine in the Ulster Cycle of Irish mythology.
- A female given name from Irish.
- 1885, Frances Mabel Robinson, Mr. Butler's Ward, Vizetelly, page 95:
- Deirdre, it seemed to him, was the most beautiful name in the world. But Mrs. Stanley had different views on nomenclature. She had never, she declared, heard so utterly preposterous a name. […] "Theatre and saltpetre are both spelt that way, Arthur; depend upon it, it is Deirder - a sort of peasant name like Darby and Biddy, a corruption of something else."
- 1996, Maeve Binchy, This Year It Will Be Different: A Christmas Treasury, Hachette UK, published 2008, →ISBN:
- His daughter was called Deirdre, a good Irish name, but now she signed herself Dee, and her man friend was called Fox.
Translations
Irish mythological heroine
Anagrams
Irish
Etymology
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): /ˈdʲɛɾˠdʲɾʲə/
Proper noun
Deirdre f (genitive Deirdre)
- a female given name from Old Irish
Mutation
| radical | lenition | eclipsis |
|---|---|---|
| Deirdre | Dheirdre | nDeirdre |
Note: Certain mutated forms of some words can never occur in standard Modern Irish.
All possible mutated forms are displayed for convenience.
Further reading
- Ó Dónaill, Niall (1977) “Deirdre”, in Foclóir Gaeilge–Béarla, Dublin: An Gúm, →ISBN
- de Bhaldraithe, Tomás (1959) “Deirdre”, in English-Irish Dictionary, An Gúm
- “Deirdre”, in New English-Irish Dictionary, Foras na Gaeilge, 2013–2025
Scottish Gaelic
Etymology
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): /ˈtʲɛrtɾə/, /ˈtʲɛʈɾə/
Proper noun
Deirdre f (vocative a Dheirdre)
- a female given name from Old Irish
Mutation
| radical | lenition |
|---|---|
| Deirdre | Dheirdre |
Note: Certain mutated forms of some words can never occur in standard Scottish Gaelic.
All possible mutated forms are displayed for convenience.