Sláinte
Gaelic drinking toast
title: "Sláinte" type: doc version: 1 created: 2026-02-28 author: "Wikipedia contributors" status: active scope: public tags: ["irish-words-and-phrases", "scottish-gaelic-language", "drinking-culture", "etiquette"] description: "Gaelic drinking toast" topic_path: "geography/ireland" source: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sláinte" license: "CC BY-SA 4.0" wikipedia_page_id: 0 wikipedia_revision_id: 0
::summary Gaelic drinking toast ::
The word sláinte in Irish or slàinte in Scottish Gaelic means "health." As a drinking toast it is common in Ireland, Scotland and the Isle of Man, though also increasingly in other countries within the whiskey/whisky drinking community.
Variations
::data[format=table title="Pronunciation"]
| Language | Phrase | IPA |
|---|---|---|
| English | slainte | |
| Irish | sláinte (mhaith) | |
| Scots Gaelic | slàinte (mhath) | |
| Scots Gaelic | do dheagh shlàinte | |
| Scots Gaelic | slàinte mhòr | |
| Manx | slaynt vie | |
| Manx | corp slaynt | |
| :: |
::figure[src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/3/3c/Sláinte_Mhath_.-_Bonne_santé.jpg" caption="Bonne santé}}"] ::
Sláinte is the basic form in Irish. Variations of this toast include sláinte mhaith "good health" in Irish (mhaith being the lenited form of maith "good"). In Irish, the response to sláinte is sláinte agatsa, which translates "to your health as well".
The basic Scottish Gaelic equivalent is slàinte (mhath), with the same meaning, to which the normal response is do dheagh shlàinte "your good health". There are other variations such as:
- air do shlàinte "on your health!" with the response slàinte agad-sa "health at yourself!"
- slàinte mhòr "great health" which is also used as a Jacobite toast with the alternative meaning of "health to Marion", Marion (Mòr) being a Jacobite code name for Prince Charles Edward Stuart.
The Manx Gaelic form is slaynt (vie) or shoh slaynt. Alternatively, corp slaynt "healthy body" is also used in Manx.
Etymology
The word is an abstract noun derived from the Old Irish adjective slán "whole, healthy" plus the Old Irish suffix tu, resulting in slántu "health" and eventually Middle Irish sláinte. The root slán is derived from the Indo-European root *slā- "advantageous" and linked to words like German selig "blessed" and the Latin salus "health".
In some modern Romance languages, words descended from the Latin word salus (such as salute in Italian, salut in Catalan and Romanian, salud in Spanish) are similarly used as a toast. (However, sănătate in Romanian, santat in Occitan and santé in French are from Latin sanitas "health.")
References
References
- {{lang. ga. Ó Dónaill ''Foclóir Gaeilge–Béarla'' [[An Gúm#Lexicographical publications. An Gúm]]. 1-85791-037-0
- ''Am Faclair Beag'', s.v. [https://www.faclair.com/?txtSearch=sl%C3%A0inte 'slàinte']
- (2022-04-12). "Slàinte Mhath: So sprichst Du den Trinkspruch aus und das bedeutet er • CaptainScotch.de".
- (September 2022). "slainte". [[Oxford University Press]]}}{{dead link.
- {{lang. ga. ''Foclóir Póca'' [[An Gúm#Lexicographical publications. An Gúm]] 1992
- Broderick, G. ''A Handbook of Late Spoken Manx'' Niemeyer (1984) {{ISBN. 3-484-42904-6
- {{lang. ga. Ó Maolalaigh, R. ''Scottish Gaelic in three months''. Hugo Language Books, 1996 {{ISBN. 0-85285-234-7.
- Dwelly, E. ''{{lang. gd. Faclair Gàidhlig gu Beurla le Dealbhan / The Illustrated [Scottish] Gaelic–English Dictionary'' 4th edition 1941
- [http://www.gcal.ac.uk/politicalsong/songs/macneil5.html "Lady Traquair's Brew"] Glasgow Caledonian University: Centre for Political Song. Retrieved 9 January 2010.
- Gunn, M. {{lang. gv. Da Mihi Manum Everson Gunn Teo., Dublin 1994 {{ISBN. 1-899082-00-X
- Morrison, S. ''Manx Fairy Tales'' (reprint) 2002 {{ISBN. 1-873120-01-X
- MacBain, A. (1911) ''An Etymological Dictionary of the Gaelic Language'' [[Stirling]] Eneas MacKay, 1982 edition by Gairm {{ISBN. 0-901771-68-6
- Oftedal, M. (1956) ''The Gaelic of Leurbost''. Oslo. Norsk Tidskrift for Sprogvidenskap.
- [[Julius Pokorny. Pokorny, J.]] {{lang. de. link. (2010-12-10 retrieved 8 January 2010)
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