Words for castles and fortresses in Celtic languages.
| Proto-Celtic |
*dūnom = stronghold |
| Old Irish (Goídelc) |
dún [duːn] = fort, fortress |
| Irish (Gaeilge) |
dún [d̪ˠuːnˠ] = fort; fortress; place of refuge, haven; residence, house; promontory fort; bluff |
| Scottish Gaelic (Gàidhlig) |
dùn [duːn] = fortress, heap |
| Manx (Gaelg) |
doon [duːn] = fort, fastness, stronghold, bastion, earth fort, dun, fortified rock |
| Proto-Brythonic |
*din [ˈdiːn] = hill, fortified hill, fort |
| Gaulish |
dunum, *dūnom = fort |
| Middle Welsh (Kymraec) |
din = fort |
| Welsh (Cymraeg) |
din [dɪn / ˈdiːn] = city, fort, fortress, fastness, stronghold
dinas [ˈdɪnas / ˈdiːnas] = city, large town; town |
| Cornish (Kernewek) |
din [di:n] = fort
dinas [‘dinas / ‘dinɐz ] = fort |
| Old Breton |
din = fort, fortress |
| Breton (Brezhoneg) |
din = fort, fortress
dinas = bastion, stronghold |
Etymology: from the Proto-Indo-European *dʰuHnom (enclosure), from *dʰewh₂- (to finish, come full circle) [source]. The English words down (a (chalk) hill, rolling grassland), dune and town come from the Proto-Celtic *dūnom [source].
| Proto-Celtic |
*katrixs / *katrik- / *kassrik- = fortification, fort |
| Old Irish (Goídelc) |
ca(i)thir [ˈkaθərʲ] = stone enclosure, fortress, castle; dwelling; monastic settlement, enclosure; monastery, convent; fortified city, city |
| Irish (Gaeilge) |
cathair [ˈkahɪɾʲ/kaːɾʲ] = city; enclosed church establishment, monastic city; circular stone fort; dwelling (place), bed, lair
Cathair an Phápa = Vatican City
cathair chorr = round fort
cathair ghríobháin = maze, labyrinth
cathróir = citizen
cathróireacht = citizenship
ardchathair, príomhchathair = capital city, metropolis |
| Scottish Gaelic (Gàidhlig) |
cathair [kahɪrʲ] = city
cathair-bhaile = city (with city status)
cathair-stàit = city state |
| Manx (Gaelg) |
caayr = dwelling place, city |
Etymology: unknown. Possibly related to the Old English hēaþor (enclosure, prison) or Serbo-Croatian kȍtar ( country, district) [source].
| Proto-Celtic |
*kagrom = fort |
| Welsh (Cymraeg) |
caer [kaːɨ̯r / kai̯r] = fort, fortress, enclosed stronghold, castle, citadel, fortified town or city; wall, rampart, bulwark |
| Cornish (Kernewek) |
ker [kɛ:r / ke:r] = fort, fortress, hill fort, city |
| Breton (Brezhoneg) |
ker = town, village, villa |
Etymology: from the Proto-Celtic *kagyom (pen, enclosure), from the Proto-Indo-European *kagʰyóm (enclosure, hedge) [source], which is also the root of words for hedge in Germanic languages, such as hedge in English, Hecke (hedge) in German and hæk (hedge, hurdle) in Danish [source].
Words marked with a * are reconstructions.
| Old Irish (Goídelc) |
caisel = fort, castle |
| Irish (Gaeilge) |
caiseal = (ancient) stone fort; unmortared stone wall; boundary wall (of church or cemetery); caslte (in chess); spinning top
caisleán [kəˈʃlʲɑːn̪ˠ / ˈkaʃl̠ʲɑːnˠ / ˈkaʃl̠ʲænˠ] = castle, mansion, cumulus (cloud) |
| Scottish Gaelic (Gàidhlig) |
caisteal [kaʃdʲəlˠ] = castle, fort, tower, garrison; turreted mansion |
| Manx (Gaelg) |
cashtal = castle, citadel, surrounding wall, bulwark, rook |
| Welsh (Cymraeg) |
castell [ˈkʰastɛɬ / ˈkʰastɛɬ] = castle, stronghold; castellated mansion; a kind of cloud; fortified town or city; village |
| Cornish (Kernewek) |
kastel = castle, hill fort |
| Breton (Brezhoneg) |
kastell = castle, fort, fortress |
Etymology: from the Latin castellum (castle, fort, citadel, fortress, stronghold), a diminutive of castrum (fort) [source], from the Proto-Indo-European *ḱes- (to cut, cut off, separate) [source], which is also the root of words for castle in most European languages.
| Proto-Celtic |
*frāti- = fort, rampart
*rāti- = a dugout, a digging |
| Gaulish |
ratin = appears in place names |
| Old Irish (Goídelc) |
ráth [r͈aːθ] = earthen rampart surrounding a chief’s residence, fort, rath |
| Irish (Gaeilge) |
ráth [ɾˠɑː/ɾˠaːx] = earthen rampart, earthen ring-fort, rath, layer (of thatch)
ráthach = having earthen forts
ráth sneachta = snow-drift |
| Scottish Gaelic (Gàidhlig) |
ràth [r̪ˠaː] = (ancient) fortress, mound, (ancient) royal seat; clearing, cleared swathe of land; fortress, barrow, village, town |
| Manx (Gaelg) |
raah = rath, ring-fort |
| Middle Welsh (Kymraec) |
bedd-rawd = cemetery |
| Welsh (Cymraeg) |
beddrod = tomb, vault, grave, cemetery |
| Middle Breton |
bez-ret = cemetery |
| Middle Breton |
bered = cemetery |
Etymology: from the Proto-Indo-European *prehzt-i- (field). Possibly cognate with the Latin prātum (meadow) [source].
| Middle Welsh (Kymraec) |
kyvelchy, gyuyllchi = circular fortress |
| Welsh (Cymraeg) |
cyfylchi = a kind of circular stronghold or fortress |
Etymology: from cyfwlch (complete, entire, perfect, excellent). Found only in the placenames such as Dwygyfylchi [dʊɨɡəˈvəlχi], a village in Conwy county, which was first recorded as Dwykyvelchy in 1287 [source]. There is also Gyfylchi in the Afan Valley in Neath Port Talbot county [source].
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, Dictionaire Favereau, TermOfis, English – ProtoCeltic WordList (PDF), Etymological Dictionary Of Proto Celtic
