brogue

1 of 2

noun (1)

ˈbrōg

: a stout coarse shoe worn formerly in Ireland and the Scottish Highlands

: a heavy shoe often with a hobnailed sole : brogan

: a stout oxford shoe with perforations and usually a wing tip

brogue

2 of 2

noun (2)

: a dialect or regional pronunciation

especially : an Irish accent

Did you know?

Did you expect brogue to be defined as "an Irish accent"? You're probably not alone; however, brogue has two homographs (words that are spelled—and, in this case, pronounced—the same but have different origins or parts of speech). Today we're featuring brogue, the shoe, which comes from the Irish word bróg and probably derives from an Old Norse term meaning "leg covering." Brogue, the accent, comes from a different Irish word, barróg, which means "accent" or "speech impediment."

Examples of brogue in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

Fraser, a 52-year-old life-long resident of Edinburgh with a lilting brogue, is an obsessive genealogist and historian who can help those with Scottish ancestry trace their roots and choose tartans that match their family heritage. —

Ross Kenneth Urken, Condé Nast Traveler, 17 Nov. 2023 Brosnan speaks with an accent that’s a fusion of his own silvery brogue and a gruff drawl. —

Owen Gleiberman, Variety, 13 Oct. 2023 While mulling the menu, Abbott responded with an exaggerated Italian accent when Plaza assumed one, later testing aloud his gruff Bronx brogue for the play. —

Julia Jacobs, New York Times, 13 Sep. 2023 One wore a suit paired with high-top lace-up brogues. —

Rachel Syme, The New Yorker, 18 Sep. 2023 The paddywhackery’s as thick as the Oirish brogues and flavorful caricatures in Robert Lorenz’s In the Land of Saints & Sinners, a deadly serious thriller about violence and redemption in which a local lush pauses to grab his pint as gunfire tears up the village pub. —

David Rooney, The Hollywood Reporter, 6 Sep. 2023 On one hot summer day, however, the brogues weren’t doing it for me. —

Barry Samaha, Robb Report, 12 June 2023 Actors try out a range of salty brogues that pitches much of the dialogue in a sea of confusing accents. —

Kirk Honeycutt, The Hollywood Reporter, 7 July 2023 Paired with a cropped white T-shirt, midi-skirt, and brogues, Gigi was the yin to Swift’s yang. —

Hannah Coates, Vogue, 21 June 2023 See More

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'brogue.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Noun (1)

Irish bróg & Scottish Gaelic bròg, from Middle Irish bróc, probably from Old Norse brōk leg covering; akin to Old English brōc leg covering — more at breech

Noun (2)

Irish barróg accent, speech impediment, literally, wrestling hold, tight grip

First Known Use

Noun (1)

1584, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Noun (2)

1677, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler

The first known use of brogue was in 1584

See more words from the same year