Today we’re looking at the words for oath, vow, (to) swear and related things in Celtic languages.
Words marked with a * are reconstructions.
| Proto-Celtic | *lug = oath *lugyom = oath, swearing |
|---|---|
| Old Irish (Goídelc) | luige = oath, swearing lugae = oath luigid = to swear |
| Middle Irish (Gaoidhealg) | luige, lug, luga, lugae = oath, (act of) swearing lugach = given to swearing, assertive, contentious luigid, luigaid = to swear |
| Irish (Gaeilge) | luigh [l̪ˠɪɟ / l̪ˠiː] = to swear (literary) luighe = oath |
| Scottish Gaelic (Gàidhlig) | lùgh [l̪ˠuː] = swear! curse! lùghadh [l̪ˠuː.əɣ] = (act of) swearing, oath, (act of) cursing lùighe [l̪ˠuːjə] = (act of) swearing, oath, (act of) cursing |
| Manx (Gaelg) | loo [luː] = oath, swear(ing), affidavit looee = oath |
| Proto-Brythonic | *lluɣ = (?) |
| Middle Welsh (Kymraec) | llv, llw = (solemn) oath, vow, oath, swear word, curse, blasphemy |
| Welsh (Cymraeg) | llw [ɬuː] = (solemn) oath, vow, oath, swear word, curse, blasphemy |
| Cornish (Kernewek) | li = oath lia = to swear, take an oath |
| Old Breton (Brethonoc) | dilu = oath |
| Middle Breton (Brezonec) | le, lé = oath, blasphemy leanty = convent |
| Breton (Brezhoneg) | le [leː] = oath, swear, vow leañ [ˈleː.ã] = to swear, take an oath leandi [leˈãn.di] = convent |
Etymology: from the Proto-Indo-European *lewgʰ- (to announce, tell, publicly) [source]. Words from the same roots include lie in English, liegen (to lie, tell lies) in Dutch, lügen (to tell a lie, to lie) in German, ljuga (to lie, to tell an untruth) in Swedish, łgać (to lie, feign, simulate) in Polish [source].
| Proto-Celtic | *tungeti = to swear (an oath) *writ-tungeti = to counter-swear |
|---|---|
| Gaulish | toncsiiontio = (?) |
| Old Irish (Goídelc) | tongaid = to swear fristoing = to forswear |
| Middle Irish (Gaoidhealg) | tongaid, toṅga, tongu = to swear, take an oath |
| Scottish Gaelic (Gàidhlig) | tuinge = oath |
| Middle Welsh (Kymraec) | twng, twg = a swearing, oath tyngu = to swear (an oath) gurthtygho, gurhtuc, gvrthegho, gurthtug = to counter-swear |
| Welsh (Cymraeg) | twng, twnc = a swearing, oath tyngu = to swear (an oath) camdyngu = to swear falsely, forswear cytyngu = to swear together, take a mutal oath gwrthdyngu = to counter-swear |
| Middle Cornish (Cernewec) | ty = an oath, imprecation |
| Cornish (Kernewek) | ti = oath, vow, swear tia = to swear, vow |
| Middle Breton (Brezonec) | toeaff, touet = to swear, curse |
| Breton (Brezhoneg) | tou [tu:] = oath touiñ [ˈtuː.ĩ] = to swear, curse |
Etymology: possibly from Proto-Indo-European *h₂lewgʰ- (to announce), or from PIE *th₂négti (to touch, grasp; to take), from *teh₂g- (to touch, take) [source].
| Proto-Celtic | *mandu = mark, sign, spot |
|---|---|
| Old Irish (Goídelc) | mind [mʲin͈d] = crown, insignia, oath |
| Middle Irish (Gaoidhealg) | mind, minn = crown, diadem, oath, vow |
| Irish (Gaeilge) | mionn = crown, diadem, oath mionnach = swearing, given to swearing mionnadóir = swearer mionnaigh = to swear mionnú = swearing, adjuration mórmhionnach = addicted to swearing |
| Scottish Gaelic (Gàidhlig) | mionn [mjũːn̪ˠ] = oath, curse, (act of) cursing, insignia mionnaichte [mjun̪ʲɪçdʲə] = bound by oath, sworn, avowed mionnan [mjun̪ˠan] = (act of) swearing an oath, (act of) cursing, small curse mionnach [mjuːn̪ˠəx] = pertaining to or abounding in oaths or curses, swearing, sweary, cursing mionn [mjũːn̪ˠ] = |
| Manx (Gaelg) | mian = to wish mianey = to wish, desire, hanker, fancy, long, lust mynney = to swear, swear-word, imprecation, oath-book |
| Middle Welsh (Kymraec) | mann = spot, speck, blemish, stain, mark |
| Welsh (Cymraeg) | man [man] = spot, speck, blemish, stain, mark mannig = spot, dot, particle. breve (in music) |
Etymology: uncertain [source], possibly from Proto-Indo-European *mend- (physical defect, fault) [source].
| Old Irish (Goídelc) | móit = vow |
|---|---|
| Middle Irish (Gaoidhealg) | móit, móid = vow, oath, wish, desire |
| Irish (Gaeilge) | móid [mˠoːdʲ] = vow móidach = votary, votive móidghealladh = solemn promise, profession móidigh = to vow móidín = devotee |
| Scottish Gaelic (Gàidhlig) | mòid [mɔːdʲ] = oath, solemn promise, swearing, vow mòideachadh [mɔːdʲəxəɣ] = (act of) swearing, vowing |
Etymology: from Latin vōtum (promise, dedication, vow, will, desire, prayer), from voveō (to vow, promise, dedicate), from Proto-Italic *wogʷeō (to vow, promise, dedicate), from Proto-Indo-European *h₁wogʷʰéyeti, from *h₁wegʷʰ- (to promise, vow, praise) [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