In this post we’re looking into words meaning barley and related things in Celtic languages.
Words marked with a * are reconstructions.
| Proto-Celtic | *yewos = barley, spelt |
|---|---|
| Old Irish (Goídelc) | eórna = barley |
| Middle Irish (Gaoidhealg) | eórna, eorna = barley |
| Irish (Gaeilge) | eorna [ˈoːɾˠn̪ˠə / ˈɔːɾˠn̪ˠə] = barley (Hordeum vulgare) eornóg = (stick of) barley sugar |
| Scottish Gaelic (Gàidhlig) | eòrna [jɔːr̪n̪ˠə] = barley Tir an Eòrna = Tiree, Uist eòrnaach [jɔːr̪n̪ˠəx] = barley-land, pertaining to or abounding in barley eòrnachan [jɔːr̪n̪ˠəxan] = knocking/beating stone (type of mortar, esp. for unhusking grain or malting barley) eòrnan [jɔːr̪n̪ˠan] = small barley (hordeum distichon) |
| Manx (Gaelg) | oarn = barley |
| Middle Breton (Brezonec) | yell = spelt |
| Breton (Brezhoneg) | yell = spelt yell-munut = emmer wheat, einkorn, Tartary buckwheat |
Etymology: from Proto-Indo-European *yéwos (cereal, grain, barley, spelt), from *yew(h₁-) (to ripen, mature). Words from the same roots include jãvas (grain, cereal) in Lithuanian, جو (jaw – barley, grain) in Persian, जौ (hau – barley) in Hindi, овин (ovin – barn) in Russian, and jyvä (grain, kernel corn) in Finnish [source].
| Proto-Celtic | *sasyos = rye |
|---|---|
| Celtiberian | *sas(s)ia = (?) |
| Gaulish | *(s)asyom = (?) |
| Middle Welsh (Kymraec) | heyd, heyt, heid(d), haid = barley |
| Welsh (Cymraeg) | haidd [hai̯ð] = barley |
| Middle Cornish (Cernewec / Kernuak) | haiz = barley |
| Cornish (Kernewek) | heydhen = barley heydhenlan = barley land heydhek = barley field |
| Old Breton (Brethonoc) | heiz, heizen(n) = barley |
| Middle Breton (Brezonec) | heiz = barley |
| Breton (Brezhoneg) | heiz = barley heizeg = barley field heizek = abundant in barley heizenn = grain of barley |
Etymology: from PIE *sh₁-s-yo-s, from *seh₁- (to sow, to plant). The Catalan word xeixa (common wheat) comes from the same Proto-Celtic root, via Celtiberian [source]. Words from the same PIE roots include sēt (to sow) in Lithuanian, сеять (sejat’ – to sow, lose, squander, spread) in Russian, and disseminate, earn, season, seed, seminar and sow in English [source].
| Proto-Celtic | *ɸitu = corn, grain *ɸitulandā = threshing floor, stackyard, granary |
|---|---|
| Gaulish | *itu = corn, grain (?) |
| Old Irish (Goídelc) | ith = corn, grain, seed itlann = a threshing floor, barn, granary, storehouse |
| Middle Irish (Gaoidhealg) | ith = corn, grain, seed ithlann, ithla, ithlu = a threshing floor, barn, granary, storehouse; a garden |
| Irish (Gaeilge) | ioth = corn, grain (literary) iothlainn = haggard, rickyard |
| Scottish Gaelic (Gàidhlig) | ioth [ih] = corn, grain iothlann [jul̪ˠən̪ˠ] = yard, farmyard, enclosure |
| Manx (Gaelg) | uhllin = farmyard, rickyard, stackyard, cornyard, haggard |
| Proto-Brythonic | *ɨd = grain (?) *ɨdlann = rickyard, stackyard, barnyard, granary (?) |
| Old Welsh (Kembraec) | itlann = rickyard, stackyard, barnyard, granary |
| Middle Welsh (Kymraec) | yt, id, yd = corn, grain, cereal ytlan, ydlan = rickyard, stackyard, barnyard, granary |
| Welsh (Cymraeg) | ŷd [ɨːd / iːd] = corn, grain, cereal ydlan = rickyard, stackyard, barnyard, granary yta = to harvest corn, to beg corn |
| Old Cornish | yd, ŷd = corn |
| Middle Cornish (Cernewec / Kernuak) | ŷs, ys = corn |
| Cornish (Kernewek) | ys [ɪs] = corn, barley, cereals, wheat |
| Old Breton (Brethonoc) | esat = wheat (?) |
| Middle Breton (Brezonec) | et, eth, yt, yth = wheat, cereal |
| Breton (Brezhoneg) | ed [ˈeːt] = wheat, corn, grain, cereal edeg = field of wheat or cereals edek = planted with wheat edenn = wheat grain eder = cereal grower, grain farmer ederezh = cereal farming |
Etymology: from Proto-Indo-European *péy-tu-s / *pi-téw-s, from (to swell [with milk], to be swollen, fat) [source]. Words from the same roots may include piẽtūs (lunch, dinner, noon) in Lithuanian, píce (fodder) in Czech [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 Kernehe, itk, Dictionaire Favereau, TermOfis, English – ProtoCeltic WordList (PDF), Etymological Dictionary Of Proto Celtic
