A post about words for disciple, pupil, student, school and related things in Celtic languages, and related words in other languages.
Words marked with a * are reconstructions.
| Old Irish (Goídelc) | deiscipul [ˈdʲesʲkʲibul] = disciple, student |
|---|---|
| Middle Irish (Gaoidhealg) | deiscipul, disgibul, deiscibul = disciple, pupil |
| Irish (Gaeilge) | deisceabal [ˈdʲɛʃcəbˠəlˠ] = disciple |
| Scottish Gaelic (Gàidhlig) | deisciobal [dʲeʃgʲəbəl̪ˠ] = disciple deisciobalachd [dʲeʃgʲəbəl̪ˠəxg] = discipleship |
| Proto-Brythonic | *dɨskɨbl = disciple (?) |
| Middle Welsh (Kymraec) | disgybyl, discipl, dyscybl = learner, pupil, beginner, apprentice, novice, adherent, follower, disciple disgyblaeth, discipliaeth = discipline, discipleship, doctrine, religious, instruction disgyblu, discyblu = to imitate, emulate |
| Welsh (Cymraeg) | disgybl [ˈdɪsɡɨ̞bl/ˈdɪskɪbl̩] = learner, pupil, beginner, apprentice, novice, adherent, follower, disciple disgybl(i)aeth = discipline, discipleship, doctrine, religious, instruction disgyblaethu = to discipline disgyblu = to discipline, chastise, instruct, imitate, emulate |
| Middle Cornish (Cernewec) | discebel, desgibl, disgibl, dyscybbl = disciple |
| Cornish (Kernewek) | dyskybel = disciple dyskybeleth = discipline |
| Middle Breton (Brezonec) | desquebl, disquebl, disquibl = disciple disquebles = disciple (female) |
| Breton (Brezhoneg) | diskibl, diskiblez = disciple, pupil diskiblezh = discipline |
Etymology: from Latin disculpus (student pupil, disciple, schoolboy, cadet), from dis- (apart, asunder) and Proto-Italic *kapelos (one who takes) [source].
Words from the same roots may include disciple and discipline in English, discepolo (disciple, follower, pupil) in Italian, disciple (disciple) in French, and disciplina (discipline, subject) in Portuguese [source].
| Old Irish (Goídelc) | daltae [ˈdal͈te] = disciple, pupil, foster-child, fosterling daltacht, daltachas, daltus = fosterage, pupilage daltán [ˈdal͈taːn] = little foster child, little pupil |
|---|---|
| Middle Irish (Gaoidhealg) | daltae, daltai, dalta = a foster-son, fosterling, nursling, ward, pupil, disciple daltán = a little foster-child, a pupil, aterm of endearment daltachas = quarterage, billeting, military service, hire, tax, tribute, fosterage, guardianship dailtín = fosterling, a impudent or quarrelsome young man |
| Irish (Gaeilge) | dalta [d̪ˠalˠt̪ˠə] = foster-child, pupil, disciple, student, alumnus, cadet, pet, fondling daltachas = fosterage, pupilage, discipleship daltán = (little) foster-child, young pupil daltas = cadetship |
| Scottish Gaelic (Gàidhlig) | dalta [dal̪ˠdə] = foster child, fosterling, stepchild daltachas [dal̪ˠdəxəs] = fosterage daltachd [dal̪ˠdəxg] = fostering |
| Manx (Gaelg) | doltey = adopted child, ward, fosterling, pupil, protégé, cadet, initiate doltaghey = foster, fostering doltaghys = fosterage, pupilage doltanagh = initiate dolteynys = adoption, wardship dolteyder = adopted parent, adopter, fosterer |
Etymology: possibly from Proto-Indo-European *dʰeh₁-lu-s, from *dʰeh₁(y)- (to suck), which is also the root of words such as figlio (son) in Italian, fils (son) in French, and hijo (son, child) in Spanish [source].
| Irish (Gaeilge) | meabhraitheoir = reflective, thoughtful, speculative person |
|---|---|
| Middle Welsh (Kymraec) | myfyriwr = student, one who meditates |
| Welsh (Cymraeg) | myfyriwr, myfyrwraig [məˈvərjʊr, məˈvərwrai̯ɡ] = student, one who meditates |
Etymology: (Welsh) from Welsh myfyrio (to meditate upon, ponder, study), from myfyr (meditation, thought), from Proto-Brythonic *meβ̃ör, from Latin memoria (memory, remembrance), from memor (mindful, remembering), of uncertain origin [source].
The Irish word comes from the same Latin root, via Middle Irish mebair (recollection, memory) and Old Irish mebuir (recollection, memory) [source].
Words from the same roots include memory, memoir and memorial in English, mémoire (memory, memo, dissertation, paper, memoir, brief) in French, memoria (memory, report, document) in Spanish, meabhair (mind, memory, consciousness, awareness, reason, sensation, feeling) in Irish, and meomhair (memory, memorandum, thinking) in Scottish Gaelic [source].
| Old Irish (Goídelc) | scol = school scolaige = scholar, student scolóc = disciple, scholar, servant, student, tenant of church |
|---|---|
| Middle Irish (Gaoidhealg) | scol = school scolóc, scológ, scolóic = scholar, pupil, student, disciple, follower, servant, youth, lad, tenant of (church) land, farmer |
| Irish (Gaeilge) | scoil = school scolaíoch = scholastic scolaíocht = schooling, school education scoláire = scholar, learned person scoláireacht = scholarship, learning scolártha = scholarly |
| Scottish Gaelic (Gàidhlig) | sgoil = school sgoilear [sgɔlər] = scholar, pupil, schoolboy, schoolgirl, school teacher sgoilearach [sgɔlərəx] = scholarly, scholastic, academic(al) sgoilearachas [sgɔlərəxəs] = scholarship sgoilearachd [sgɔlɛrəxg] = scholarship, schooling, (act of) studying |
| Manx (Gaelg) | scoill, schoill = school scollag = boy, lad, stripling, youngers, scholar schoillar = scholar, student scoillar = academic, man of learning, pupil schoillaragh = scholarly, scholastic schoillaraght, schoillarys = scholarship |
| Proto-Brythonic | *ɨskol = school |
| Middle Welsh (Kymraec) | escol, iscol, yscol, ysgol = school escolheyc, yscolheic, ysgolhaig = scholar, erudite or learned person, disciple, pupil, student escolheyctaut, ysgolhectod, ysgolheictot = scholarship, learning, erudition ysgoler = pupil, schoolchild, student, scholar |
| Welsh (Cymraeg) | ysgol [ˈəskɔl] = school ysgolaidd = scholastic, educational, academic ysgolhaig = scholar, erudite or learned person, disciple, pupil, student ysgolheictod = scholarship, learning, erudition (y)sgolor, (y)sgolar, (y)sgoler = pupil, schoolchild, student, scholar prifysgol = university |
| Middle Cornish (Cernewec) | scol = school scolheic = scholar |
| Cornish (Kernewek) | skol [skoːl] = school skoler = scholar skolheygel = scholarly, erudite skolheyk, skolheyges = scholar, student skolheygieth = scholarship skolji = schoolhouse pennskol, pednskol = university |
| Middle Breton (Brezonec) | scol = school scolaër [skoˈlɛːr] = scholar, teacher, schoolmaster |
| Breton (Brezhoneg) | skol [skoːl/skuːl] = school skolaer, skolaerez [skoˈlɛːr] = scholar, teacher, schoolmaster skolaj [ˈskoː.laʃ] = college, high school skol-veur = university skoliad [ˈsko.ljat] = pupil, student skoliañ = to instruct, teach |
Etymology: from Latin schola (schooltime, classtime, school, student body, art gallery), from Ancient Greek σχολή (skholḗ – leisure, free time, rest, lecture, disputation, discussion, philosophy, school, lecture hall), from Proto-Hellenic *skʰolā́ (holding back), from Proto-Indo-European *sǵʰ-h₃-léh₂, from Proto-Indo-European *seǵʰ- (to hold) [source].
Words from the same roots include epoch, hectic, scheme, scholar, school, severe and sketch in English, école (school) in French, scuola (school, class, lesson, grade) in Italian, and Schule (school) in German [source].
| Irish (Gaeilge) | mac léinn = student |
|---|---|
| Scottish Gaelic (Gàidhlig) | mac-léighinn = student (archaic) |
Etymology: from Old Irish macc (son, child) and légend (act of studying), which comes from Latin legendum, from legō (to choose, appoint, collect, read) [source].
| Proto-Celtic | *suwits = wise, knowledgeable person |
|---|---|
| Old Irish (Goídelc) | suí [ˈsui̯] = sage, scholar, expert, learned man, master, wise man |
| Middle Irish (Gaoidhealg) | suí, sui, súid = man of learning, scholar, wise man, sage, head of a monastic or poetic school suíthemail, saithemail, saothamail = skilled, accomplished, learned, wise, fair, beautiful, pleasant, agreeable |
| Irish (Gaeilge) | saoi [sˠiː] = head of a monastic or poetic school, wise man, learned man, master, expert, eminent, distinguished, person saíocht = learning, erudition, mastery, accomplishment saoithiúil [ˈsiːhwəlʲ] = learned, wise, skilled, accomplished, humorous, entertaining, pleasant, agreeable, funny, peculiar saoithiúilacht = learning, wisdom, skill, accomplishment, humorousness, pleasantness, mirth, oddness |
| Scottish Gaelic (Gàidhlig) | saoidh [sɤj] = worthy, righteous person |
| Middle Welsh (Kymraec) | syw, syỽ = excellent, splendid, elegant, smart, neat, merry, joyful sywedyt, sywyedyd, sywedydd = astronomer, seer, soothsayer, wizard, wise or learned man, teacher |
| Welsh (Cymraeg) | syw = excellent, splendid, elegant, smart, neat, merry, joyful, wise, learned, skilful, dexterous sywder = elegance, neatness, smartness syw(i)edydd = astronomer, seer, soothsayer, wizard, wise or learned man, teacher |
Etymology: from Proto-Celtic *su- (good) and *wid- (to know) [source]. Words from the same roots include euphoria, euphemism and other words beginning with eu- in English [source]
| Scottish Gaelic (Gàidhlig) | stuidear [sdudʲər] = student, study (room) |
|---|---|
| Manx (Gaelg) | studeyr = student |
| Middle Welsh (Kymraec) | ystudiwr, astudiwr = student, scholar, academic |
| Welsh (Cymraeg) | (a)studiwr = student, scholar, academic |
| Cornish (Kernewek) | studhyer, studhyores = student |
| Breton (Brezhoneg) | studier = student |
Etymology: from English study or Middle French estudier (to study) [source].
Another word for student is oileanach [ɤlanəx] (‘one who is instructed’) in Scottish Gaelic [source]. The word oileánach also exists in Irish, but it means islander, insular or abounding in islands [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
