| français | English | Cymraeg | Brezhoneg |
|---|---|---|---|
| le vers | verse | pennill | poz |
| le refrain | chorus | corawd | diskan |
| le réseau (électrique) | (electricity) grid | rhwydwaith (trydan) | rouedad (tredan) |
| la charrette | (horse-drawn) cart | cart; trol | karr |
| le cheval de trait | cart horse | ceffyl gwedd/gwaith/cart | kezeg tenn |
| metter la charrue avant les bœufs | to put the cart before the horse | rhoi’r cart/drol o flaen y ceffyl | |
| se concentrer sur | to concentrate on | canolbwyntio ar | en em dopliñ war |
| porter son attention sur | to concentrate one’s attention on | canolbwyntio ar | en em dopliñ war |
| la colombe | dove | colomen | koulm |
| la pensée latérale | lateral thinking | meddwl ochrol; meddwl wysg eich ochr | soñj gostez (?) |
| un vieil ami | an old friend | hen gyfaill | kamarad kozh (?) |
| les algues (fpl) | seaweed | gwymon | bezhin |
| gaspiller | to squander (money) | gwastraffu; afradu | digalzañ |
| gâcher | to squander (chances) | gwastraffu | priennañ |
| travail en retard | backlog of work | llwyth o waith yn aros i’w wneud | |
| les séquences | footage (filmed material) | ffilm | laziad |
| creuser | to dig (a hole) | palu; cloddio | kleuzañ |
| bêcher | to dig (the garden) | claddu | palat |
| taper (qch à qn) | to scrounge (sth off sb) | begera (rhywbeth gan rywun) | |
| mettre l’accent sur qch | to put emphasis on sth | pwyleisio ar rywbeth |
Category: Breton (Brezhoneg)
Les mots de la semaine
| français | English | Cymraeg | Brezhoneg |
|---|---|---|---|
| prendre des libertés | to take liberties | bod yn hy[f]; beiddio gwneud rhth | monet / mont re frank ouzh ub |
| le devis | quotation (estimate) | pris | rakpriz |
| la citation | quotation (from book) | dyfynnu | arroudenn |
| les guillemets (m) | quotation marks | dyfynodau | klochedigoù |
| les arrhes (m) | deposit (refundable) | blaendal (ad-daladwy) | arrez |
| l’acompte (m) | deposit (non refundable) | blaendal (di-ad-daladwy) | rannbae |
| hors taxes; exempté de douane | duty-free | di-doll; tollrydd | pep taos er-maez |
| le chargement | load (things carried) | llwyth | fard |
| il pleuviote | it’s spitting (with rain) | mae hi’n pigo bwrw / taflu dafnau | pleuvasser a ra |
| la bruine; le crachin | drizzle | glaw mân; gwlithlaw; manlaw; brithlaw | ailhenn |
| éthique; moral | ethical | ethic | buhezegezh; divezel |
Archerien
An interesting word that came up in my Breton lesson today is archerien, which means police. It caught my attention because it has no obvious connection to the word police, and because it is completely different to the equivalent words in other Celtic languages:
– Welsh: heddlu (“peace force”)
– Cornish: kreslu (“peace host”)
– Irish: gardaí (síochána) (“guards of peace”); póilíní
– Manx: meoiryn shee (“peace keepers/stewards”); poleenyn
– Scottish Gaelic: poileas
The English word police comes from the French police (public order, administration, government), from the Latin polītīa (state, government), from the Greek πολιτεία (politeia – citizenship, government, administration, constitution). It is shares the same root as policy, politics, politician and various other words [source].
Many languages use variants on the word police, e.g. Politsei (Estonian), პოლიცია (polits’ia – Georgian), Polizei (German), पुलिस (pulis – Hindi), پلیس (pulis – Persian), Booliis (Somalia), Policía (Spanish), Pulis (Tagalog), but some do their own thing:
– Bavarian: Kibara
– Chinese: 警察 (jǐngchá); 公安 (gōng’ān)
– Faroese: Løgregla
– Greek: Αστυνομία (Astynomía)
– Hungarian: Rendőrség
– Icelandic: Lögregla
– Japanese: 警察 (keisatsu)
– Korean: 警察 (gyeongchal)
– Thai: ตำรวจ (tảrwc)
Are there other examples of languages with a word unrelated to police for police?
Les mots de la semaine
| français | English | Cymraeg | Brezhoneg |
|---|---|---|---|
| imperméable | waterproof | diddosi | didreuz |
| barboter; faire trempette | to paddle (in water) | slotian; padlo; ffritian | bourbouilhañ |
| pagayer | to paddle (a kayak/canoe) | rhwyfo; padlo | roeñvat |
| la pataugeoire | paddling pool | pwll padlo | poullig patouilhañ |
| patauger | to wade/splash about; flounder | sblasio; fflatsio; slotian; ymdrochi | papouilhat |
| décrocher | to go cold turkey | gwneud triniaeth croen gwydd | diskregiñ |
| tailler | to sharpen (pencil) | rhoi/gwneud blaen (ar bensel); hogi, miniogi | krennañ |
| le taille-crayon | pencil sharpener | peth gwneud min/awch ar bensel | beger-kreionoù |
| aiguiser | to sharpen (blade/appetite) | hogi; rhoi min ar | lemmañ |
| le coquelicot | poppy (wild) | llygad y cythraul; llygad y bwgan; bochgoch | roz-aer |
| le pavot | poppy (cultivated) | pabi | roz-moc’h |
| les soins intensifs (m) | intensive care | gofal arbennig; gofal dwys | prederioù askoridik |
| les menottes (f) | handcuffs | gefynnau (llaw) | kefioù-dorn; grizilhonoù |
| menotter | to handcuff | gefynnu; rhoi gefynnau (ar) | grizilhonañ |
| avoir les menottes aux poignets | to be handcuffed | bod mewn gefynnau |
Les mots de la semaine
| français | English | Cymraeg | Brezhoneg |
|---|---|---|---|
| la cuisinière | cooker | cwcer; popty; ffwrn | keginerez; fornigell |
| la cusinère à gaz; la gazinière | gas cooker | popty/ffwrn nwy | keginerez dre c’haz |
| la cuisinère électrique; le four électrique | electric cooker | popty trydan; ffwrn drydan | keginerez-tredan |
| l’autocuiseur (m) | pressure cooker | sosban bwysedd/frys | primgaoter |
| le panneau solaire | solar panel | panel haul | panell-heol |
| le panneau photovoltaïque | photovoltaic (PV) panel | panel ffotofoltäig/ffotofoltaidd | panell-fotovoltaek |
| la courbe | curve | cromlin | krommenn |
| courbe; arrondi | curved | crwm; crom | kromm |
| l’accordéon (m) | accordion | acordion; cordion | akordeoñs |
| l’accordéon à touches | piano accordion | piano-acordion | akordeoñs piano |
| le concertina | concertina | consertina | koñsertina |
Les mots de la semaine
| français | English | Cymraeg | Brezhoneg |
|---|---|---|---|
| le macadam (goudronné) | tarmac | tarmac | makadam |
| goudronner | to tarmac/asphalt | tarmacio; coltario | koultronañ |
| les bons et les méchants | goodies and baddies | dynion da a dynion drwg | an tud vat hag an tud fall |
| un sachet de petits cadeaux | a little bag of goodies | bag bach o dda-da | |
| [petit sac pour emporter les restes après un repas au restaurant] | doggie/doggy bag | bag sborion | |
| clair comme de l’encre | as clear as mud | annealladwy; fel tatws llaeth | |
| clair comme le cristal / comme de l’eau de roche | as clear as day/crystal | mor olau a’r dydd; clir fel grisial | |
| le champ de foire | fairground | cae ffair | marc’hallac’h |
| le typhon; l’ouragan | typhoon | gyrwynt; corwynt; teiffŵn | tifon |
| la monnaie; la devise | currency | arian (treigl/cyfredol) | moneiz; teulenn |
| les devises étrangères | foreign currency | arian tramor | moneiz estren (?) |
Les mots de la semaine
| français | English | Cymraeg | Brezhoneg |
|---|---|---|---|
| le linge | laundry (clothes) | dillad golchi; y golch | lien |
| la blanchisserie | laundry (shop, place) | golchdy | gwennerezh; kannerezh |
| la laverie (automatique) | laundrette | laundrette | gwalc’herezh; kanndi |
| la guérison | curing, healing, recovery | iachau; iachâd | pare; gwelladeg |
| la gueule de bois | hangover | pen mawr/clwc; salwch bore drannoeth; salwch ar ôl y ffair | poan vlev |
| joindre les deux bouts | to make ends meet | cael deu ben llinyn ynghyd | |
| avoir beaucoup de mal à joindre les deux bouts; tirer le diable par la queue | to stuggle to make ends meet | cael yn anodd i gael dau ben llinyn ynghyd | |
| l’influence (f) de l’entourage; pression exercée par les autres | peer pressure | pwysau cyfoedion | |
| le loup de mer | old seadog; sea bass | hen forwr; ysbinbysg y môr | bleiz mor; ki mor |
| farcir | to stuff (food) | llenwi; stwffio | farsañ |
| le fenouil | fennel | ffenigl; ffunell | fanouilh |
| malveillant | evil (person) | drwg; drygionus; dihiryn | maliset |
| branlant | wobbly (chair/table) | sigledig; siglog; woblog | brall; divrall |
| tremblant | wobbly (voice/jelly) | crynedig | krenedik |
| avoir les jambes flageolantes | to feel wobbly | teimlo yn sigledig / siglog / woblog | sentet trabidellus |
| Je ne te reproche pas | I don’t blame you | ni welaf i ddim bai arnat ti | |
| une motte de gazon | sod; piece of turf | darn o dywarchen | moudenn leton |
| brouter | to graze (on grass) | pori | peuriñ |
| mouchard | grass (informer) | prepiwr; hen brep; clep; clepgi | to(u)pin |
| donner qn | to grass on sb | prepian am/ar rywun | kelaouiñ da unan bennak |
| la flottabilité | buoyancy | hynofedd | flotuster |
Les mots de la semaine
| français | English | Cymraeg | Brezhoneg |
|---|---|---|---|
| le filet | net | rhwyd | tanavenn |
| le siège (chair, stool, toilet); la place (on bus/train); la selle (bicycle) | seat | sedd | seziz |
| la hache d’arme | battleaxe | bwyell ryfel; cadfwyell | kadvouc’hal |
| le virago | battleaxe (quarrelsome woman) | hen sguthan; hen arthes | oz(h)ac’hwreg |
| le coucou | cuckoo | cwcw; cog | koukoug |
| la pendule à coucou | cuckoo clock | cloc cwcw | |
| le loutre | otter | dyfrgi | dourgi |
| le slip | underpants | trôns; drafers | bragez vihan |
| les caleçons; les longs | longjohns / leggings | trôns llaes; drafers hir | bragoù-dindan |
| le (chapeau) haut-de-forme | top hat | het silc | |
| le (chapeau) melon | bowler hat | het galed; het gron (galed) | tog-meloñs; tok pompad |
| le chapeau mou | trilby | het feddal; het drilbi | |
| le dent; la roue dentée | cog | dant; cocsyn; olwyn ddannedd | rod dantek |
| être un rouage de la machine | to be (only) a cog in a machine | bod neb o bwys yn y drefn | |
| la gargote | greasy spoon, cheap restaurant | bwyty bwyd loddin; bwyty rhad | tarzhell |
| j’ai tout emporté sauf les murs | I’ve packed everything but the kitchen sink | popeth dan haul; eich holl drugareddau | |
| la gouttière | guttering | landeri; landerydd; bargod | kan-dour |
| le jardin d’hiver | conservatory | ty gwydr; ystafell wydr | jardin go(u)añv |
| la croisière | cruise | mordaith; criws | merdeadenn |
| être en maraude | to cruise (for customers, i.e. taxi) |
Les mots de la semaine
| français | English | Cymraeg | Brezhoneg |
|---|---|---|---|
| la brute; le tyran | bully | bwli | tirant |
| tyraniser; rudoyer; intimider | to bully | gormesu; bwlio | gaiet gante; abafiñ |
| la laisse | lead | tennyn | roll |
| le pont | deck (of ship) | bwrdd | pont |
| la passerelle (de commandement) | bridge (of ship) | pont (lywio) | pontenn |
| l’arête (f) / le dos | bridge (of nose) | cefn | ker |
| le chevalet | bridge (of violin) | pont | pontig |
| quand le chat n’est pas là, les souris dansent | when the cat’s away the mice will play | llon llygod lle ni bo cath |
Korriganed
Korriganed are apparently small creatures that live under standing stones (dolmen/menhirs) in Brittany. They feature in one of the lessons in my Breton course and are explained thus:
“Les korrigans doivent être des êtres particulièrement petits, puisque ce mot est formé de korr, “nain”, puis du diminutif -ig puis du’un autre diminutif – obsolète aujourd’hui – -an. Il s’agit donc de “petits petits nains.”
Or
“The korrigans must be particularly small beings, since the word is formed from corr, “dwarf”, and the diminutive -ig and the another diminutive – now obsolete – -an. So they are “little little dwarfs.”
When I read the explanation in French I saw the word nain and thought it was the Welsh word for grandmother, not realising that is means dwarf or midget in French. So for a while I believed that the Korriganed were tiny grandmothers. Later I realised my mistake and discovered the actual meaning of that word.
According to legend, the Korriganed erected the standing stones in Brittany.
Do you mistake words in one language for words in another at all?