Etymology: from the Proto-Indo-European *snígʷʰs (snow) [source].
Old Irish (Goídelc)
arg = drop (of water)
Proto-Brythonic
*ėrɣ = snow
Middle Welsh (Kymraec)
eiry = snow
Welsh (Cymraeg)
snow [ˈei̯ra] = snow
Old Cornish
irch = snow
Cornish (Kernewek)
ergh = snow
Middle Breton
erch = snow
Breton (Brezhoneg)
erc’h = snow
Etymology possibly from the Proto Celtic *argyos (white), from the Proto-Indo-European *h₂r̥ǵ-yó-s, from *h₂erǵ- (white). Or from the Proto Celtic *ɸarg(y)os (sprinkling, spatter) from the Proto-Indo-European *(s)pregʰ- (to scatter, jerk). [source].
The English word freckle comes from the same root, via the Old Norse freknur (speckles) [source].
Words for tree, wood and related things in Celtic languages.
There are various words for tree in the modern Celtic languages. In each language the usual word for tree is different and comes from different roots. Only the Cornish and Breton words are cognate. The usual words for tree are: crann (Irish), craobh (Scottish Gaelic), billey (Manx), coeden (Welsh), gwedhen (Cornish) and gwezenn (Breton).
Proto-Celtic
*kʷresnom = tree, wood
Old Irish (Goídelc)
crann = tree crannchor = casting of lots crannda = wooden
Middle Irish (Gaoidhealg)
crann, crand = tree, wood, timber, staff, pole, plank, beam, spearshaft, mast, steering oar, lot, destiny, fate crannach, cranncha = trees, grove, wooded place crannaige, crannaigi = shaft-trimmer, spearsman crannaigid = to cast lots crannán = small spearshaft crannchor, crannchur = casting of lots crannda, cranda = wooden, made of wood, wooded cranngal, crannghal = timber, wooden structure or object, spear (shaft) crannóc, crandoc = wooden structure, wooden drinking-container; basket, wooden lake-dwelling cranntáball = sling, staff-sling
pren [prɛn] = tree, bush, shrub; timber, wood, wooden; piece of wood, wooden stick; cross, gallows, gibbet prenfol = (wooden) box, chest, coffer, case, coffin preniaf, prennaf, prenio, prennu = to bolt (a door), bar, shut (sb) out prensaer = carpenter
Old Cornish
pren = wood
Middle Cornish (Cernewec)
pren = tree, wood, timber, a piece of wood, a lot prenic = wooden, woody prenne = to fasten with a piece of wood, to bar prennyer = pieces of wood
Cornish (Kernewek)
prenn [prɛn:] = bar, beam, log, timber, (gambling) lot , wooden prenna, predna = to bar, lock prennek = wooden, woody prennlown = plywood prennweyth = woodwork
Old Breton
pren = wood
Middle Breton (Brezonec)
pren, prenn, preen = wood prennaff, prena, prenna = to close, block prennet = to lock
Breton (Brezhoneg)
prenn = wood, piece of wood, fastner prennañ = to close, fasten, shut
Etymology: from Proto-Indo-European *kʷres (bush, thicket) [source]. Words from the same roots include hurst (wood, grove – used in placenames, e.g. Lyndhurst) in English, and Horst (eyrie, bush, thicket, small forest) in German [source]
Old Irish (Goídelc)
cráeb / cróeb = tree
Middle Irish (Gaoidhealg)
cráeb, craib = branch, bough, sprig, rod, wand, post, tree, bush cráebach, cræbacha = having branches, branchy, branches
Irish (Gaeilge)
craobh = branch, bough; tree craobhach = branches, branched, branching, flowing, spreading craobhaigh = to branch, ramify, expand, spread craobhóg = small branch, twig, sprig, spray, darling
Scottish Gaelic (Gàidhlig)
craobh [krɯːv] = tree, bush craobhaich = woody, wooded, full of trees, branching, spreading craobhag [krɯːvag] = small tree craobhadair [krɯːvədɪrʲ] = arborist, tree specialist
Manx (Gaelg)
crouw = stock, bush, dwarf tree, stick, bunch, wide spreading tree, tributary of river
Etymology: unknown, possibly from Proto-Celtic krētros (sieve) [source].
Proto-Celtic
*belyom = tree
Gaulish
*bilia [ˈbi.liaː] = tall tree
Old Irish (Goídelc)
bile [ˈbʲilʲe] = tree, especially a large, ancient, sacred one
Middle Irish (Gaoidhealg)
bile [ˈbʲilʲe] = (large) tree (esp. an ancient and venerated one), tree trunk, mast, scion, hero bilech = abounding in trees, (well-)wooded bileóc, biléog = leaf, leaflet
Irish (Gaeilge)
bile [ˈbʲɪlʲə] = (large, sacred) tree; scion; distinguished person bileog = leaf, letter of freedom (to marry) bileogach = leafy, laminated biliúil = tree-like, stately
Scottish Gaelic (Gàidhlig)
bile [bilə] = mast; plough; beam; lot (in drawing lots); tree (archaic); cluster of trees, sacred tree/grove bileach = leaf, amount of leaves, leafy tree bileag = blade (of vegetation), board, leaf, leaflet, pamphlet, ticket, label, slip (of paper) bileagach = lipped, billed, bladed, fringed, edged
Manx (Gaelg)
billey = tree, big bush billagh = tree, wooded, woody biljagh = arboreal, wooded billey
bilh, bill = a felled tree trunk, log, lumber, timber bilh-koad = chunk of wood
Breton (Brezhoneg)
bill = trunk
Etymology: from Proto-Indo-European *bʰolh₃yo- (leaf), from *bʰleh₃- (blossom, flower) [source]. Words from the same Proto-Celtic root, via Gaulish, include bille (tree trunk, railway sleeper, rolling pin) and billon (a ridge in a ploughed field) in French, bilha (stem, trunk) in Provençal and possibly billa (spigot, faucet, stick) in Galician [source].
Words from the same PIE roots include folio and phyllo / fil(l)o (pastry), phyllomancy (diviniation by leaves) in English, feuille (leaf, sheet) in French, andhoja (leaf, petal, blade) in Spanish [source].
Proto-Celtic
*widus = wood, trees
Old Irish (Goídelc)
fid = tree, wood, letter in Ogham fidchell = a boardgame similar to chess fidrad = trees, a wood
Middle Irish (Gaoidhealg)
fid = tree, wood, timber fidach = wooded, abounding in trees, timber fidchell = a boardgame similar to chess fidrad = trees, a wood, letter (in Oghan)
gwedh, gweydh, gwydh = trees gwedhen, gwedhan = tree gwydhbol = chess
Cornish (Kernewek)
gwydh [gwɪ:ð] = trees gwedhen = tree gwedhek = woodland gwedhlan = arboretum, tree plantation
Old Breton
guid = trees
Middle Breton (Brezonec)
guez, guid, gwyd, gwydh = tree(s)
Breton (Brezhoneg)
gwez [ɡwe] = trees gwezenn = tree gwezeg = wooded gwezek = abounding in trees gwezboell = chess
Etymology: from Proto-Indo-European *h₁weydʰh₁-. (tree, beam) [source]. Words from the same roots include wood in English, vid (firewood, wood) in Swedish, and ved (wood) in Danish [source].
coed [koːɨ̯d / kɔi̯d] = forest, wood, trees; shrubs; timber, pieces of wood coeden [koːɨ̯d / kɔi̯d] = tree coedaidd = silvan, arboraceous, woody, wooden coedallt = wooded slope, hillside coedfa = grove, woodland, forest coed(i)ach = shrubs, brushwood, underwood, withered branches coed(i)af), coed(i)o = to prop or timber a pit or shaft coed(i)og = woody, wooded, abounding with trees, silvan coed(i)ol = pertaining to wood or timber, silvan, rustic, wild coedlan = copse, grove, woodland, wooded glade coedwig = forest, wood argoed = trees, forest, surrounding forest
Old Cornish
cuit = wood, forest
Middle Cornish (Cernewec)
coys, coyd, coid = wood, forest
Cornish (Kernewek)
koos [ko:z / ku:z] = forest
Middle Breton (Brezonec)
coat, coet, coët = wood, forest
Breton (Brezhoneg)
koad [ˈkwɑːt] = wood, forest koadadur = afforestation, tree planting koadaj = panelling, woodwork koadeg = wooded, woody koader = to timber, panel, plant trees argoad = groove, copse, wooded
Etymology: from Proto-Indo-European *kayt-/*ḱayt- (forest, wasteland, pasture) [source]. Words from the same roots include heath and heather in English, Heide (heath, heathland, woodland, forest) in German, hed (moor, waste land) in Swedish.
skriv, scrihuë = written skrivadenn = something written skrivadur = spelling, way of writing skrivagner = scribe, secretary skrivailher, skrivantour, skrivagnerez = writer skrivañ, skriviñ, skriv = to write
Breton (Brezhoneg)
skrivad = writing skrivadenn = dictation skrivagner = writer skrivañ = to write
Etymology: from Latin scrībō (I write), from Proto-Italic *skreiβō (I carve), from Proto-Indo-European *(s)kreybʰ- (to scratch, to tear) [source].
Words from the same roots include scribble, scribe, script, shrift and shrive in English, and scritta (writing, notice, sign) and scrìvere (to write, spell) in Italian [source].
hun [hɨːn/hiːn] = sleep, slumber, nap, drowsiness, rest, death hunaint = lethargy, sleeping-sickness, coma, apathy, torpor huniad = a sleeping, sleep huno = to sleep, slumber, nap, fall asleep, die, fall into a state of apathy, indifference or unconcern hunog, hunol = slumbering, sleepy, drowsy, sleeper, drowsy person hun-gân = lullaby
Old Cornish
hun = sleep
Middle Cornish
hun = sleep
Cornish (Kernewek)
hun = sleep hungan = lullaby
Middle Breton
hun = sleep
Breton (Brezhoneg)
hun = sleep, nap hunva = dormitory hunvaleer = somnambulist, sleep walker hunvre = dream hunwezher = sleeping pill hun don = deep sleep
Etymology: possibly from the Proto-Indo-European *supnós (sleep, death), from *swep- (to sleep) [source].
From the same PIE root we get the Latin word cancer (crab, tumor, cancer, lattice, grid), and related words in other languages, such as cancer, canker and incarcerate in English, cangrejo (crab) and cáncer (cancer) in Spanish [source].
cysgu [ˈkəsɡɨ̞ / ˈkəsɡi] = to sleep, slumber, fall asleep; to fall into the sleep of death, to die; to be or become numb, to be torpid; to fall into a state of apathy, indifference or unconcern cwsg = sleep, slumber, rest, dormancy, numbness, insensitiveness cysgadur = sleeper, lazy and drowsy person, sleepy-head, hibernating animal
Cornish (Kernewek)
koska [‘kɔska / ‘kʊskɐ] = to sleep kosk = sleep yn kosk = asleep sagh-koska = sleeping bag
Etymology: from the Proto-Indo-European *ḱewb- (to bend, turn) [source]. The English word hip comes from the same PIE root, as does the Albanian word sup (shoulder) [source].
Today we’re looking at the verbs to be and to see, and related words, in Celtic languages. This verb is one of the few irregular verbs in the Celtic languages. Different parts of the conjugated forms come from different roots.
bod [boːd] = to be (conjugation) bodaeth = existence, the state of being, ontology; a being, living creature bodiad = (the state of) being, existence bodiadol = being, existing, present (tense)
Etymology: from the Proto-Indo-European *bʰuH- (to become, grow, appear) [source], which is also the root of such English words as wise, wit, view, vision, video, guide, druid and history [source].
Proto-Celtic
*tāti = to be (stative)
Old Irish (Goídelc)
at·tá [atˈtaː] = to be, have
Irish (Gaeilge)
tá [t̪ˠæː] = am/is/are (present tense of the verb bí (to be) in the affirmative form)
Scottish Gaelic (Gàidhlig)
tha [ha] = am/is/are (present tense of the verb bi (to be) in the affirmative form)
Manx (Gaelg)
ta [ta] = am/is/are (present tense of the verb bee (to be) in the affirmative form)
Middle Welsh (Kymraec)
tau = to be
Welsh (Cymraeg)
taw [taːu̯ / tau̯] = that, being, existing, present (tense)
Middle Cornish
otte/atta [ˈbɔːz] = that (?)
Old Breton
to = that (?)
Etymology: from the Proto-Indo-European *steh₂-(t) (to stand (up)) [source].
Proto-Celtic
*weleti = to see *wele = see (imperative) *weless = seer, poet
bhfuil [vˠɪlʲ / wɪlʲ] = am/is/are (present affirmative form of the verb bí) níl [n̠ʲiːlʲ] = am not/is not/are not (present negative form of the verb bí) – from ní fhuil file = poet, satirist, scold filíocht = poetry
Scottish Gaelic (Gàidhlig)
bheil [vel] = am/is/are (present affirmative form of the verb bi) chan eil [xan̪ʲ el] = am not/is not/are not (present negative form of the verb bi) filidh [filɪ] = poet, bard, minstrel filidheachd [filɪjəxg] = poetry, versification, rhyming
Manx (Gaelg)
vel [vel] = am/is/are (present affirmative form of the verb bee) cha nel = am not/is not/are not (present negative form of the verb bee) feelee [ˈfʲilʲi] = poet feeleeaght = poetry
Middle Welsh (Kymraec)
gwelet / guelud = to see
Welsh (Cymraeg)
gweld [ɡwɛld] = to see, behold, perceive with the eyes, grasp intellectually, understand, visualize, imagine, view, inspect, interview, visit, inquire (conjugation) gweledydd = seer, prophet, beholder gweledig = in sight, visible, perceptible, seen, perceived anweledig = invisible
Cornish (Kernewek)
gweles [‘gwɛlɛs / ‘gwɛlɐz] = to see (conjugation) gweladow = visible anweladow = invisible
Breton (Brezhoneg)
gwelet = to hear, keep an eye on, watch (conjugation) gwelapi = visible disgwel / diwel = invisible rakwelet = to foresee, predict, preview
Etymology: from the Proto-Indo-European *wel- (to see). This verb came to mean “there is” in Old Irish and its descendents, but continued to mean to see in the Brythonic languages [source].
Proto-Celtic
*ad-kʷis-o- = to see
Old Irish (Goídelc)
aicci = sees
Irish (Gaeilge)
feic [fʲɛc] = to see
Scottish Gaelic (Gàidhlig)
faic [fɛçgʲ] = to see, look, behold, observe
Manx (Gaelg)
faik = to see
Etymology: from the Proto-Indo-European *kʷey- (to observe), or from *kʷes- (see) [source].
