Words for deer in Celtic languages. There were several different words for deer in Proto-Celtic: *wēdus, *karwos, *ellan(t)ī-, *danī- and *yorkos, and also *sidos (stag). They may have referred to different types of deer, but it is not certain which types, apart from *yorkos, which is a roe deer.
Words marked with a * are reconstructions.
| Proto-Celtic | *wēdus [ˈweː.dus] = wild |
|---|---|
| Old Irish (Goídelc) | fíad [fʲiːa̯ð] = wild animals, game, especially deer |
| Middle Irish (Gaoidhealg) | fíad, fiad = wild animals, game, esp. deer fíadamail = deer-like, wild, uncultivated |
| Irish (Gaeilge) | fia [fʲiə] = deer |
| Scottish Gaelic (Gàidhlig) | fiadh [fiəɣ] = deer fiadhach [iə.əx] = deer hunting, venision, wildness, wilderness fiadhachadh = deer hunting |
| Manx (Gaelg) | feeaih, feeaïh = deer, hart feeaihagh = deer hunting feeaihaght = deer hunt |
Etymology: from the Proto-Indo-European *weydʰ- (wood, wilderness) [source].
| Proto-Celtic | *karwos = deer, stag |
|---|---|
| Gaulish | caruus, carvos, *caruos = deer |
| Old Irish (Goídelc) | carbh = deer |
| Middle Irish (Gaoidhealg) | cairrḟiad, cairrfiadh = stag |
| Irish (Gaeilge) | carria / cairrfhiadh = deer, stag |
| Scottish Gaelic (Gàidhlig) | cair-fhiadh / carbh-fheadh = hart, stag |
| Manx (Gaelg) | çharroo, charroo = stag |
| Proto-Brythonic | *karw = deer, stag |
| Old Welsh | *caru = deer |
| Middle Welsh (kymraec) | caru, carv, keyru, carw, karw = deer, hart, stag carwaidd = having the attributes of a stag, pertaining to a stag, noble, wise carwnaid, karwnaid = stag’s leap, a great leap |
| Welsh (Cymraeg) | carw [ˈkaru / ˈkaːru] = deer, hart, stag; lord, nobleman, patron carw coch / carw rhudd = red deer, stag carw Llychlyn = reindeer carwfarch = camel, elephant carwfil = stag, camel |
| Old Cornish | caruu = stag |
| Middle Cornish | carow = stag |
| Cornish (Kernewek) | karow = stag, buck, hart, stag karow ergh = caribou, reindeer karow rudh = red deer |
| Middle Breton | caro, carv, caru = deer |
| Breton (Brezhoneg) | karv [ˈkarw / ˈkɑːro] = deer, roe deer, red deer karv-erc’h = caribou, reindeer karvez = doe karvig = fawn karvken = deer hide |
Etymology: from Proto-Indo-European *ḱerh₂wós, from *ḱerh₂- (horn) [source].
| Proto-Celtic | *sidos = stag |
|---|---|
| Old Irish (Goídelc) | séd = deer |
| Middle Irish (Gaoidhealg) | ség, ség, sedh = deer |
| Middle Welsh (Kymraec) | hit, hyd, hed, hydd = stag, hart hyddgarw, hawddgar = stag, deer, lord, patron, wise leader, horse hyddgen, hydgen = deer-skin, buckskin hyddgi = buck-hound, stag-hound, greyhound |
| Welsh (Cymraeg) | hydd = stag, hart hyddaidd = having the attributes of a stag, cervine hyddgarw = stag, deer, lord, patron, wise leader, horse hyddgen, hyddgroen = deer-skin, buckskin hyddgi = buck-hound, stag-hound, greyhound hyddgig = venison |
| Cornish (Kernewek) | hedh = buck, hart, stag |
| Old Breton (Brethonoc) | hed = deer, fallow deer |
| Middle Breton (Brezonec) | heizes, eizec = doe, hind |
| Breton (Brezhoneg) | heizez = doe, hind heizezig = darling |
Etymology: uncertain
| Proto-Celtic | *ellan(t)ī- / *agliones = deer |
|---|---|
| Old Irish (Goídelc) | ag [aɣ] = bullock, cow, ox, deer, stag |
| Middle Irish (Gaoidhealg) | ag, agh = cow, ox, deer, stag |
| Irish (Gaeilge) | agh = cow, ox agh alla = deer agh dára = cow, ox |
| Scottish Gaelic (Gàidhlig) | agh [ɤɣ] = heifer, hind |
| Middle Welsh (Kymraec) | eilon, eilion = deer, hart, stag |
| Welsh (Cymraeg) | eil(i)on = deer, hart, stag |
Etymology: possible from the same root as the English word eland (a type of antelope found in South Africa), which from the Dutch eland (elk), from the Old High German elent.
| Proto-Celtic | *ou̯ījkā = ? |
|---|---|
| Gaulish | cerua = ? |
| Old Welsh | eguic = hind, deer |
| Middle Welsh (Kymraec) | eguic, euic, euychet, euchyc, ewic, ewig = deer, hart, stag ewigaidd = pertaining to hind(s), hind-like |
| Welsh (Cymraeg) | ewig = hind, doe, roe; graceful light-footed woman; deer, hart ewigfa = deer-park |
| Old Cornish | euhic = hind, deer |
| Middle Cornish (Cernewec) | ewic, euhic, ewig = hind, deer |
| Cornish (Kernewek) | ewik = deer, doe, hind ewik ergh = caribou, reindeer ewik gowr = elk, moose ewik rudh = red deer |
Etymology: possibly from the Proto-Indo-European *h₂ówis (sheep) [source]
| Proto-Celtic | *yorkos = roebuck, deer |
|---|---|
| Gaulish | iorkos, iorcos = deer |
| Proto-Brythonic | *jorx = deer, stag |
| Welsh (Cymraeg) | iwrch [jʊrχ] = roe-deer, roebuck |
| Old Cornish | yorch = roe-deer |
| Middle Cornish (Cernewec) | iorch, yorch = roe buck iorches = roe deer |
| Cornish (Kernewek) | yorgh = roe deer yorghes = (female) roe deer |
| Old Breton | iorch = roe deer |
| Middle Breton (Brezonec) | yourch = roe deer |
| Breton (Brezhoneg) | yourc’h [ˈjurx] = roe deer, venison, intrepid boy, wild yourc’hez = (female) roe deer |
Etymology: from the Proto-Indo-European *york- (antelope, gazelle) [source].
| Proto-Celtic | *danī- = deer |
|---|---|
| Middle Welsh (Kymraec) | danys, danas = deer, fallow deer |
| Welsh (Cymraeg) | danas, danys, daenas [ˈdanas] = deer, fallow deer |
| Middle Breton (Brezonec) | dem = deer, fallow deer |
| Breton (Brezhoneg) | demm = deer, fallow deer |
Etymology: related to the French daim (hind, doe), from the Latin dāma (fallow deer, buck, doe) [source]
Sources: Wiktionary, Etymological Dictionary Of Proto Celtic, In Dúil Bélrai English – Old Irish glossary, eDIL – Electronic Dictionary of the Irish Language, Teanglann.ie, Am Faclair Beag, An etymological dictionary of the Gaelic language, Fockleyreen: Manx – English Dictionary, Online Manx Dictionary, Gaelg Corpus, Geiriadur Prifysgol Cymru, Lexicon cornu-britannicum : a dictionary of the ancient Celtic language of Cornwall, Gerlyver Kernewek, Devri : Le dictionaire diachronique du breton, Geriafurch, TermOfis
