| français | English | Cymraeg | Brezhoneg |
|---|---|---|---|
| l’allée (f) | aisle (in a church or theatre) | ystlys; eil | ale |
| le couloir | aisle (on plane, train or bus); corridor | eil; coridor | trepas |
| le moteur à réaction | jet engine | peiriant/motor jet | |
| la fatigue due au décalage horaire | jet lag | jetludded | skuizh dale-eur (?) |
| souffrir du décalage horaire | to be jet-lagged | bod yn jetludded | gouzañv skuizh dale-eur (?) |
| la vérité finit toujours par se savoir | the truth will out | fe ddaw’r gwir i’r golau; taer yw’r gwir am y golau | |
| s’en sortir très bien | to come up smelling of roses | ||
| à fourrure | furry (covered with fur) | blewog | blevenneg |
| poilu(e) | furry (tail, body) | blewog | blevenneg |
| en peluche | furry (toy) | ffyrraidd | grognonet |
| se retirer son permis de conduire | to be disqualified from driving | gwahardd rhywun rhag gyrru | |
| être casse-pieds / emmerdant | to be a pain in the neck | bod yn bigyn yn dy glust di | bezañ torr-penn |
| vitalité | vitality | bywiogrwydd; sioncrwydd | buhezegezh |
| la veuve | widow | gweddw | intañvez |
| le veuf | widower | gwr gweddw | intañv |
| le boudin noir | black pudding | pwdin gwaed | gwadegenn |
Category: Breton (Brezhoneg)
Les mots de la semaine
| français | English | Cymraeg | Brezhoneg |
|---|---|---|---|
| le campus; le cité universitaire | campus | campws | kampus |
| les vents | wind (flatulence) | gwynt | avel |
| le casse-croûte | snack | byrbryd; tamaid | torr-naon; adlein |
| casser la croûte / la graine | to have a bite/something to eat | cael tamaid | debriñ ur begad |
| grignoter | to snack | cael tamaid; cael pryd ysgafn | krignat |
| l’amuse-gueule (m) | appetizer; nibble | mymryn; briwsionyn | lipaj |
| le moucheron | midge | gwybedyn mân | c’hwibu |
| gardien(ne); concierge | caretaker | gofalwr | gourner; porzhier |
| la dialyse | dialysis | dialysis | dializ |
| la gravité; le pesanteur | gravity | disgyrchiant | graviter |
| en propriété libre | freehold | rhydd-ddaliadol; rhyddfreiniol | |
| loué/donné à bail | leasehold | prydles | |
| la douve | moat | ffos | douvez; tuv |
| le cambriolage | burglary | lladrad | laerezh en tiez |
| pratique | handy (object) | hwylus; hylaw | boazmant; pleustr |
Les mots de la semaine
| français | English | Cymraeg | Brezhoneg |
|---|---|---|---|
| le bassin | pond (small) | pwll | poull |
| l’étang (m) | pond (larger) | llyn | stank; lenn; loc’h |
| la mare aux canards; la canardière | duck pond | pwll hwyaden | poull houad |
| le nymphéa le nénuphar |
water lily | lili’r dwr; alaw | loar-zour; skudell-zour |
| la grotte la caverne |
cave | ogof | mougev; megin; kavarn |
| la peinture rupestre | cave painting | paentiad mewn ogof | liverezh-reier |
| l’homme des cavernes le troglodyte |
cave dweller | preswylydd ogof | tud ar mougevioù |
| la periode glaciaire | the Ice Age | Oes yr Iâ; Oes y Rhew | marevezh ar Skorn-bras |
| le guerrier | warrior | gwron; rhyfelwr; milwr | brezeler |
| enchanté; ravi | delighted | balch; llawen; wrth dy fodd | plijet bras |
| en service | on duty | ar ddyletswydd; ar wasanaeth; ar alwad | o vont |
| le grimace le froncement de sourcils |
frown | gwg; cuwch; cilwg | ard; grim |
| froncer les sourcils | to frown | gwgu; cuchio; crychu talcen; cilygu | ardaouiñ |
| le sous-traitant | sub-contractor | isgontractwr; isgytundebwr | eilkevratour |
| sous-traiter | to subcontract | isgontractio; isgytundebu | eilkevratiñ; eil tretañ; eil feuriañ |
Les mots de la semaine
| français | English | Cymraeg | Brezhoneg |
|---|---|---|---|
| coquin; fripon; polisson; vaurien | rascal; scamp | dyn drwg; cnaf; cenau; dihiryn | lañfre; lachefre |
| petit chenapan! | little rascal! | y gwalch bach! y mawrddrwg! yr ellyll bach! | |
| déchiffrer; décrypter | decipher | datrys; dehongli | disifrañ |
| toutes les deux semaines | every other week | bob yn ail wythnos | |
| un(e) … sur deux | every other … | bob yn ail … | |
| la date/heure limite; le délai | deadline | dyddiad cau; adeg cau; pen set | deiziad/eurioù diwezhañ; termen |
| le numéro d’immatriculation | registration number | rhif cofrestru | niverenn-varilh |
| la plaque d’immatriculation | number plate | plât rhif | plakenn-varilh |
| piloter (un avion) | to fly (a plane) | hedfan (awyren) | pilotañ |
| voler | to fly (planes, birds) | hedfan | nijal |
| aller en avion | to fly (by plane) | hedfan | mont da karr-nij (?) |
| le tableau de bord | dashboard | borden flaen; panel deialau | |
| la cachette | hideout | cuddfan; cuddfa | kuzhiadell; kuzh; toull-kuzh |
Les mots de la semaine
| français | English | Cymraeg | Brezhoneg |
|---|---|---|---|
| le tonnerre et la foudre | thunder and lightning | mellt a tharanau | kurun e luc’hed |
| l’éclair (m) | a flash of lightning | mellten; llucheden | luc’hed, foeltr |
| l’éclair en zigzag | forked lightening | mellt fforchog | |
| l’éclair en nappe(s) | sheet lightening | dreugiau | |
| être foudroyé | to be struck by lightning | wedi ei daro gan mellt | |
| le paratonnerre | lightning conductor | rhoden fellt/luched | diskuruner; par(a)gurun |
| la cannaberge | cranberry | llugaeronen; cryglusen | |
| le projet | plan (intention) | bwriad | raktres |
| la maison jumelée | semi-detached house | ty pâr | |
| le fer à cheval | horseshoe | pedol (y march) | houarn-marc’h |
| le serment | oath (formal promise) | llw | le |
| la brouette | wheelbarrow | berfa; whilber | chirigot |
| entraînant | catchy | cofiadwy; bachog | joudoul |
Les mots de la semaine
| français | English | Cymraeg | Brezhoneg |
|---|---|---|---|
| le grand-bi (vélo) | penny-farthing (bicycle) | beic peni-ffardding; ceffyl haearn | |
| rebondir | to bounce | rhybedio; trybowndio; sboncio | adlammat |
| le gros titre | headline | pennawd | |
| la course | race (competition) | ras | redadeg |
| l’interprète | performer (musician) | perfformiwr; chwaraewr | kaner; c’hoarier |
| performe(u)r | performer (athlete) | perfformiwr | |
| originaire/natif (d’un pays) | native (of a country) | brodor | genidik |
| indigène | native (original inhabitant) | brodor | henvroat |
| le pays natal | native country | mamwlad; gwlad enedigol | mammvro |
| la langue natale | native language | mamiaith; iaith frodorol | yezh vamm; yezh e gavell |
| locateur natif | native speaker | siaradwr brodorol | komzer orin |
| c’est un français de souche | he’s a native Frenchman | brodor Ffrainc ydy o | |
| endémique | native (plant) | brodorol | brosezat |
| la (voiture) décapotable | convertible (car) | car codi; car to clwt | karr to-disto |
| terrifié | terrified | dychrynedig; mewn ofn | |
| l’épouvantail (m) | scarecrow | bwgan brain | spontailh |
| la forêt tropicale humide; la forêt pluviale | rain forest | fforest law | forest lav |
| le defaut d’élocution | speech impediment | nam ar leferydd | |
| le jour de congé; la journée libre | day off | diwrnod rhydd; diwrnod i’r brenin | |
| le briquet | (cigarette) lighter | taniwr (sigaréts) | direnn |
| le short | shorts | siorts | bragoù berr |
Les mots de la semaine
| français | English | Cymraeg | Brezhoneg |
|---|---|---|---|
| le dioxyde de carbone | carbon dioxide | carbon deuocsid / deuocsid carbon | dioksidenn garbon |
| l’onduleur; l’inverseur | (electrical) inverter | gwrthröydd | gwagenner; ginader |
| l’échafaudage (m) | scaffolding | sgaffaldiau; sgaffaldwaith | chafotaj |
| le compteur [kɔ̃tœʀ] (d’électricité) | (electricity) meter | mesurydd (trydan) | konter (tredan) |
| le parcmètre | parking meter | cloc/mesurydd parcio | parkmetr |
| la coupure [kupyʀ] de courant | power cut | toriad trydan | troc’h tredan |
| passer | to flow (electrical current) | llifo | flistrañ |
| l’essaim (m) [esɛ̃] | swarm | haid | barr; hedd; taol; tokad |
| se regrouper en masse; essaimer | to swarm (bees) | heidio | adtaoleiñ; adtaoler; barrañ; flac’hediñ; hediñ; taoler hed |
| les tong (fpl) | flip-flops | fflip-fflops | soledennoù; solennoù |
| alcootest®; éthylotest; éthylomètre | breathalyzer® | alkotest; etilotest; etilometr | |
| le tonneau; le fût | cask | casgen; baril; hogsied | tonell; fust |
| la taupe | mole | gwadd; twrch daear | goz |
| tapeur; crocheteur | scrounger | chwiwleidr; crafangwr | suner; klocheder |
| l’assignation (f) à comparaître | (court) summons | gwŷs | |
| recevoir une assignation à comparaître | to be served a summons | derbyn gwŷs | |
| la déposition | (legal) statement | mynegiad; datganiad | testeni |
Les mots de la semaine
| 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 |
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?