Words for ditches, trenches and related words in Celtic languages.
Words marked with a * are reconstructions.
| Proto-Celtic | *klado- = to dig, bury *klādos = trench *kladeti = to dig, thrust *kladyā = digging |
|---|---|
| Gaulish | Vindo-cladia = place name |
| Old Irish (Gaoidhealg) | clad = ditch, dyke claide [ˈkla.ðʲe] = to dig con·claid = to dig, excavate do·claid = to dig up, uproot claidid = to dig |
| Middle Irish (Gaoidhealg) | clad, clod = hole dug in the ground, trench claide = digging, trenching, ditch, trench, excavation claidid = to dig, excavate, undermine clas = ditch, trench, furrow, pit, cooking-pit, burning-pit, grave |
| Irish (Gaeilge) | cladh = ditch, trench (literary) cladhach = ridged, furrowed cladhaire = ditcher claidh = to dig (a trench), build (a dike) clais [klˠæʃ] = water channel, gully, ditch, trench, furrow, rut, groove, deep cut, gash, put, trough, soft mass, large quantity clasach = channelled, trenched, grooved, gashed clasaigh = to channel, trench, gash, groove |
| Scottish Gaelic (Gàidhlig) | cladh [kl̪ˠɤɣ] = burial ground, cemetry, graveyard, ditch cladhach [kl̪ɤ.əx] = digging, dig, excavation clais [kl̪ˠaʃ] = furrow, groove, ditch, drain, gutter, rut, trench claiseach [kl̪ˠaʃəx] = furrowed, grooved, fluted, abounding in trenches/ditches claisean [kl̪ˠaʃan] = small furrow, small groove, small ditch, drain claisearachd [kl̪ˠaʃərəxg] = ditching, act of digging a ditch clais-mhòr = gorge |
| Manx (Gaelg) | clash = channel, cleft, gorge, hollow, furrow, trench, sewer clashal = to trench clashag = furrowed, grooved |
| Proto-Brythonic | *klėðɨd [kle̝ˈðɨːd] = to dig, thrust |
| Middle Welsh (Kymraec) | clad, clat = hole, put, ditch, trench, grave cladedic, kladdedig = buried, interred, dug up cladedigaeth, klydigeth = burial, funeral claddfa = cemetry, graveyard, burial-ground cladu, kladu, kladdy, cladv = to bury, hide, forget, dig, burrow cleis, clais = bruise, would, break, line, groove, rut, fissure, ditch, trench, rivulet |
| Welsh (Cymraeg) | cladd = hole, put, ditch, trench, grave claddedig = buried, interred, dug up claddedigaeth = burial, funeral claddfa = cemetry, graveyard, burial-ground claddu [ˈklaðɨ̞/ˈklaːði] = to bury, hide, forget, dig, burrow, stab, pierce clais [klai̯s/klai̯ʃ] = bruise, would, break, line, groove, rut, fissure, ditch, trench, rivulet clawdd [ˈklaːu̯ð/ˈklau̯ð] = mound, dyke, earthwork, bulwark, boundary, hedge, fence; ditch, gutter, trench, pit, quarry, mine, moat, fosse cloddio = to dig, delve, trench, ditch, excavate clodd(i)wr, clawddwr = ditcher, navvy, digger, miner, quarryman, hedger, excavator mwyn i’r clawdd to be unsuccessful, fail (“to go to the ditch/wall”) |
| Middle Cornish (Cernewec) | cledh, clêdh = dyke, ditch, trench, fence cladhva = a burying place ancledhy = to bury, inter ancledhyas, anclydhyas, encledhyes = burial, funeral |
| Cornish (Kernewek) | kleudh = ditch kleudhik = groove kleudhya = to dig a trench, ditch, excavate ynkleudhva = cemetry, graveyard ynkleudhyans = burial, funeral ynkleudhyas = to bury, inter ynkleudhyer / ynkleudhyores = funeral director, undertaker |
| Old Breton (Brethonoc) | clud = hollow |
| Middle Breton (Brezonec) | creux, cleus, cleuz = hollow, cave |
| Breton (Brezhoneg) | kleuz [kløː(s)] = hollow, slope, earth embankment, fence (of earth), hedge (of thorns, etc) kleuziad kleuz(i)añ [ˈkløː.z(i)ã] = to dig kleuzier |
Etymology: from the Proto-Indo-European *kelh- (to beat, break) [source].
| Irish (Gaeilge) | díog = ditch, trench, drain díogach = trenched, having trenches |
|---|---|
| Scottish Gaelic (Gàidhlig) | dìg [dʲiːg] = ditch, dyke, drain |
| Manx (Gaelg) | jeeg = ditch, gutter, moat, trench jeeig = conduit, cut, ditch, drain, gully, put, trench, waterway, sewer jeeigagh = ditched jeeigit = ditched, drained |
Etymology: unknown.
| Irish (Gaeilge) | fos = prop, buttress, wall |
|---|---|
| Scottish Gaelic (Gàidhlig) | fos [fɔs] = ditch, wall, buttress (archaic) |
| Middle Welsh (Kymraec) | fos, foss = ditch, dike |
| Welsh (Cymraeg) | ffos [fɔs] = ditch, dike, gutter, moat, trench, furrow, groove, pit ffos(i)af, ffosi(o) = to ditch, trench, furrow, chamfer ffosedig = trenched, moated, furrowed, lined ffos gaeedig = drain ffos y clawdd, ffos glawdd = roadside ditch ffos ddyfrio conduit ffos melin, ffos y felin = mill-race |
| Middle Cornish (Cernewec) | fos = ditch, moat, trench, intrenchment, wall |
| Cornish (Kernewek) | fos = wall paper fos = wallpaper toll y’n fos = cash dispenser, ATM (“hole in the wall”) |
| Middle Breton (Brezonec) | fos, foss, fôs = ditch, gap, pit, (river) bed |
| Breton (Brezhoneg) | foz = ditch, gap, sand trap foz disac’hañ = rift (valley), collapsed ditch foz-kronniañ = holding tank, retention pit |
Etymology: from the Latin fossa (ditch, trench, moat, gutter, furrow), from fossa terra (dug-up earth) [source].
| Proto-Celtic | *kʷantyos = flat hill, valley |
|---|---|
| Old Irish (Goídelc) | céite = hill, mound, race-course, assembly |
| Middle Irish (Gaoidhealg) | céide, céite = hill, mound, eminence, open space |
| Irish (Gaeilge) | céide [ˈlʲɛtʲəɾʲ/ˈl̠ʲɛtʲəɾʲ] = flat-topped hill, place of assembly |
| Scottish Gaelic (Gàidhlig) | cèide = market, fair, green, hillock |
| Pictish | ᚘᚐᚅᚈ = hollow |
| Middle Welsh (Kymraec) | pant = hollow, depression, valley, dent |
| Welsh (Cymraeg) | pant [pant] = hollow, depression, valley, dent pant (y) llaw = palm of the hand pant a thalar = hilla and dale, everywhere pantiad = hollow, depression pant(i)af, pantio, pantu = to be(come) hollow, make an impression, sink (in the middle) pant(i)og = hollow, sunken, uneven, holed, sinking, sagging, concave pantir = dale-land, valley-bottom, lowland pantlawr = uneven/concave floor pantlle = hollow, dell, small valley, place full of hollows |
| Cornish (Kernewek) | pans = dell, dingle, hollow |
| Old Breton | pantet = curved, curve |
| Middle Breton (Brezonec) | pant = curved, curve, bend |
| Breton (Brezhoneg) | pant = slope, hillside |
Etymology: possibly from the PIE *kwem-t (hill)
Sources: Wiktionary, Am Faclair Beag, Online Manx Dictionary, Teanglann.ie, eDIL – Electronic Dictionary of the Irish Language, In Dúil Bélrai English – Old Irish glossary, Geiriadur Prifysgol Cymru, Gerlyver Kernewek, Lexicon Cornu-britannicum: A Dictionary of the Ancient Celtic Language of Cornwall, Dictionaire Favereau, TermOfis, Le dictionnaire diachronique du breton, Etymological Dictionary Of Proto Celtic
I believe that there is one key technicality here that affects all this good work.
My understanding is that the ditch, clawdd, claí etc is both the trench and the mound, it is the entire earthwork.
Certainly in many places in Ireland the ditch is the bank, and in Wales also. “Codi clawdd” is what people would be doing, and Clawdd Offa being a good example.
And in English, you don’t have to go that far back before you see ditch being used for both the mound and the trench.
Creating earthworks as enclosures and boundaries is covered in the Brehon Laws.