What does "taoiseach" mean?

The head of the government of Ireland, comparable to a prime minister of a Commonwealth of Nations country.

Taoiseach

//ˈtiːʃəx// noun

noun ·Uncommon ·Advanced level

Noun

1
The head of the government of Ireland, comparable to a prime minister of a Commonwealth of Nations country. Irish
"Article 28. […] 5. 1º The head of the Government, or Prime Minister, shall be called, and is in this Constitution referred to as, the Taoiseach. 2º The Taoiseach shall keep the President generally informed on matters of domestic and international policy."
2
A chieftain or leader. Ireland, historical
"Every diſtrict in the land, in which an Iriſh Taoiſeach or lord reſided, was obliged to entertain a Daniſh chief, to whom he was to ſubmit, and from whom he was to receive orders for the governing of his people; for theſe laſt would receive no commands, but directly from their own chiefs."
3
the prime minister of the Irish Republic wordnet
4
Alternative letter-case form of Taoiseach (“head of the government of Ireland”). Irish, alt-of
"The only leader of the 1916 Easter rebellion to escape hanging, [Éamon d]e Valera lost the civil war, then won elections that made him taoiseach (prime minister) for 19 years."

"The taoiseach is talking to me."

Etymology 1

Borrowed from Irish Taoiseach (“chieftain, leader; prime minister of Ireland”). The plural form Taoisigh is borrowed from Irish Taoisigh.

Etymology 2

See Taoiseach.

Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.