Words for hillsides, cliffs and related words in Celtic languages.
| Proto-Celtic | *altos = height, cliff |
|---|---|
| Old Irish (Goídelc) | alt, allt = height, cliff, valley, abyss |
| Middle Irish (Gaoidhealg) | als = hillock |
| Irish (Gaeilge) | ailt = steep-sided glen, ravine, height, cliff ailteán = small ravine alt = steep-sided ravine, hillock altach = undulating (road), wavy (hair) altán = streamlet, ravine, hillock |
| Scottish Gaelic (Gàidhlig) | alt [al̪ˠd] = rugged/steep bank, precipice allt [aul̪ˠd] = brook, burn, stream, brook, rill, river with precipitous banks alltan = brook, little stream, streamlet |
| Manx (Gaelg) | alt = mountain stream, glen in mountains, high place, altitude, alto |
| Middle Welsh (Kymraec) | alt, allt = hill(side) |
| Welsh (Cymraeg) | allt [aːɬt / aɬt] = hill(side), (steep) gradient or slope, steep road or path, (steep) ascent, cliff, woods, wooded slope allt (o) goed = wood, grove allt (y) môr, allt fôr = sea-cliff yr allt bren = staircase, facet (“the wooden hill”) |
| Old Cornish | als = cliff |
| Cornish (Kernewek) | als [ɒlz / ælz] = cliff |
| Middle Breton | a(o)ut = coast, shore, bank |
| Breton (Brezhoneg) | aod = coast, shore aod bili = pebble beach aod vev = foreshore |
Etymology: from the Proto-Indo-European *h₂eltós, from Proto-Indo-European *h₂el- (to grow, nourish) [source].
English words such as altitude, adult and old come from the same PIE root, as do alt (old, ancient, elderly) in German, oud (old) in Dutch, haut (high, tall) in French and alto (high, tall, deep, loud) in Italian [source].
Words marked with a * are reconstructions.
Sources: Wiktionary, Am Faclair Beag, Online Manx Dictionary, Teanglann.ie, eDIL – Electronic Dictionary of the Irish Language, Geiriadur Prifysgol Cymru, Gerlyver Kernewek, Dictionaire Favereau, TermOfis