Irish Translation Forum

Hi, I want to know how can I say 'intelligence' in Gaelic. Thanks

WolfSun wrote:Hi, I want to know how can I say 'intelligence' in Gaelic. Thanks

Clisteacht

Redwolf

I would prefer 'intleacht' or 'éirim aigne'

I understand 'clisteacht' more of in the sense of someone being "crafty' or 'quick off the mark'. But perhaps I'm a bit off the mark myself.

Thanks and, its ok to say just 'éirim'?... and what does 'Meabhair' means?

'Meabhair' primarily means 'mind' or 'memory'. It can be used for 'intelligence' in some contexts

I would interpret meabhair as sense, consciousness, or memory. (Not contradicting Antoin; just trying to find the most precise English equivalent)
I would interpret éirim as aptitude. If you put aigne after it, it will be clearer that you mean intelligence rather than some other sort of aptitude.
I agree with Antóin's categorisation of clisteacht. It's like "craftiness" or "being cute" (in the way Irish people use the word). It can be a compliment, but it usually implies some element of sneakiness.

If you want the type of intelligence you get by spying, that would be faisnéis.

BTW, cliste[acht] is also applied to animals, in which case it generally has positive connotations.

Ó Dónaill gives , dexterous, smart, clever, as in smart lad, skillfull at work. Glic is more used for the sly, deceitful, cunning folks

There's no doubt that duine éirimiúil would be translated as 'an intelligent person' - well, that's how I would interpret it.

éirim means aptitude, talent, intelligence.

I reckon that éirim would work as a stand-alone translation although personally I would prefer éirim aigne which could be translated as 'mental ability', whereas you could say that éirim just means 'ability' - but the 'mental' bit is implied through normal usage. Clear as mud, eh?