Words for alive & living in Celtic languages.
| Proto-Celtic |
*biwos = alive, living, mortal |
| Old Irish (Goídelc) |
béo [bʲeːu̯] = alive, living |
| Irish (Gaeilge) |
beo [bʲoː / bʲɔː] = living, alive; live, active; living being; life; livelihood; quick; to live |
| Scottish Gaelic (Gàidhlig) |
beò [bjɔː] = alive, live, living; lively; vivid; vital; quick, lively, sprightly |
| Manx (Gaelg) |
bio [bʲoː] = alive, live, lifelike, bright, hot, activated, pictorial, afloat, live person, spring tide after neap |
| Proto-Brythonic |
*bɨw = alive, living |
| Welsh (Cymraeg) |
byw [bɨu̯ / bɪu̯] = alive, living, having life, animate, quick, existing, actual; lively, full of life, vivacious, vigorous, sprightly, spirited, eager, sparkling; vivid, graphic; susceptible to
byw (verb) = to live, lead one’s life, subsist, exist; dwell, inhabit, to animate, revive |
| Cornish (Kernewek) |
bew [beˑʊ] = active, agile, alive, lively, living,
switched on
bewa = to live, be alive |
| Breton (Brezhoneg) |
bev = alive, living, lively
bevañ = to live, feed |
Etymology: from Proto-Indo-European *gʷih₃wós (alive, living) [source].
| Old Irish (Goídelc) |
forig, fuirset = to remain, stay |
| Irish (Gaeilge) |
fuirigh = to hold back, delay, wait, stay |
| Scottish Gaelic (Gàidhlig) |
fuirich [fuɾʲɪç] = to stay, wait, delay, linger, abide |
| Manx (Gaelg) |
fariagh [bʲoː] = to stay |
| Old Irish (Goídelc) |
cómnuigim = I rest
congaib [konˈɡavʲ] = to contain, preserve, keep, uphold |
| Middle Irish (Gaoidhealg) |
cómnuigim = I rest
congaib [konˈɡavʲ] = to contain, preserve, keep, uphold |
| Irish (Gaeilge) |
cónaigh [ˈkoːn̪ˠɪɟ / ˈkoːnˠə / ˈkɔːnˠi] = living, alive; live, active; living being; life; livelihood; quick; to live |
| Scottish Gaelic (Gàidhlig) |
cumail [kumal] = (act of) keeping, holding, retaining; witholding; celebrating, observing
còmhnaidh [kɔ̃ːnɪ] = (act of) occupying, inhabiting, dwelling, residing; occupancy, occupation, habitation, residence; (act of) abiding; abode |
| Manx (Gaelg) |
cummal = to grip, hold, keep, arrest, contain, retain, live, inhabit |
Etymology: from the Old Irish com- (with) and gaibid (to hold, grasp, take, seize, capture) [source].
| Old Irish (Goídelc) |
maraid [ˈma.rəðʲ] = to last, persist, remain; to survive, live |
| Irish (Gaeilge) |
mair = to live, to last |
| Scottish Gaelic (Gàidhlig) |
mair [marʲ] = to live, to exist, to continue |
Etymology: from Proto-Indo-European *merh₂- (to seize, grip) [source].
| Welsh (Cymraeg) |
trigio = to live (in), dwell, reside, lodge, stay, remain, delay, linger
godrig(af) = to stay, tarry, remain, abide, dwell, sojourn; stay or tarry for; rest upon, insist; linger, delay. |
| Middle Cornish |
trege, trega, tryga, tryge = to remain, stay, dwell |
| Cornish (Kernewek) |
triga = to remain, stay, dwell |
| Old Breton |
guotric = to stay |
Etymology: from Latin trīcō (to delay) [source].
The word for to live in Breton, chom, comes from the Old French chômer (to be idle, to be out of work), from the Late Latin caumāre, from caumō (I rest during the heat), from the Ancient Greek καῦμα (kaûma – heat). [source].
Words marked with a * are reconstructions.
Sources: Wiktionary, Am Faclair Beag, Online Manx Dictionary, Teanglann.ie, Geiriadur Prifysgol Cymru, Gerlyver Kernewek, Dictionnaire Favereau
