# Ireland

Pronunciation: US say "Y-ur-luhnd" /ˈaɪə(ɹ)lənd/; UK say "Y-uh-luhnd" /ˈaɪə(ɹ)lənd/

## Proper noun

1. A country in northwestern Europe occupying most of the island it shares with Northern Ireland; also described as the Republic of Ireland.
   - Simple: A country in northwestern Europe, also called the Republic of Ireland.
   - _Ireland shares its only land border with Northern Ireland, which is part of the United Kingdom._
   - _The economy of Ireland grew rapidly during the late 1990s._
2. A large island in northwestern Europe, separated from Great Britain by the Irish Sea and divided politically between the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland.
   - Simple: A large island in northwestern Europe, west of Great Britain.
   - _Ireland is the third-largest island in Europe, after Great Britain and Iceland._
   - _Glaciers shaped much of the landscape across Ireland during the last ice age._

## Other meanings

- (proper noun) A surname of English origin, given originally to people who came from or were linked with Ireland.
- (proper noun) A community in Madison Township, Dubois County, Indiana, in the United States, that is not incorporated as a town or city.
- (proper noun) A community in Lewis County, West Virginia, in the United States, with no municipal government of its own.
- (proper noun) A community in Antigonish County, in the Canadian province of Nova Scotia.
- (proper noun) A hamlet in Southill parish, in the Central Bedfordshire district of Bedfordshire, England.

## Origin

From Middle English Ireland, from Old English Īrland, from Old Irish Ériu, meaning 'Ireland', plus land.

Source: DictionaryAI, https://dictionaryai.com/define/ireland (written from Wiktionary data, CC BY-SA 4.0: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/).