{"id":4601,"date":"2019-09-09T17:53:35","date_gmt":"2019-09-09T16:53:35","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.omniglot.com\/celtiadur\/?p=4601"},"modified":"2025-08-29T18:15:29","modified_gmt":"2025-08-29T17:15:29","slug":"birch-trees","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.omniglot.com\/celtiadur\/2019\/09\/09\/birch-trees\/","title":{"rendered":"Birch (trees)"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>Words for <strong>birch<\/strong> (genus <em>Betula<\/em>) in Celtic languages.<\/p>\n<p><a data-flickr-embed=\"true\" href=\"https:\/\/www.flickr.com\/photos\/saaby\/23358629\/in\/photolist-34HGZ-s8y9zJ-qLsbLo-p7r2ww-r4HZiZ-9zajZ1-8MzJsQ-anomzw-5yEj3o-8AyYjG-bAcs99-inDreN-pgb9r7-pMtWgj-QQdFqk-qHeLYx-5fBLS-2b4QDTw-qdh3Se-bdYtZn-qn8o2N-5RMw2P-2cLqN5g-CvpXyV-RHt8xa-23H6SnR-6n2KMb-9mpGkP-FkWTrk-MRF2GU-2dK1d58-qebvqR-25eB4dQ-2d42z3Z-5HmVc7-M6JS52-5X9azu-8ZjH6n-4h37kJ-2TWFYS-5TgKZW-4UYFAQ-c6B9cf-g4diWK-bzWwe3-7pd2c5-L5jiKV-AezrgL-2b1QA3K-be6JxM\" title=\"Birch Trees\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/live.staticflickr.com\/16\/23358629_b4f144a7e1_z.jpg\" alt=\"Birch Trees\" width=\"640\" height=\"480\"><\/a><script async=\"\" src=\"\/\/embedr.flickr.com\/assets\/client-code.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<p>Words marked with a * are reconstructions. <\/p>\n<table>\n<tbody>\n<tr>\n<th>Proto-Celtic<\/th>\n<td><strong>*betwiyos \/ *betuy\u0101<\/strong> = birch (tree)<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<th>Gaulish<\/th>\n<td><strong>betulla, *bitu, *betua<\/strong> = birch<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<th>Old Irish (Go\u00eddelc)<\/th>\n<td><strong>beithe<\/strong> = birch (tree)<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<th>Middle Irish (Gaoidhealg)<\/th>\n<td><strong>beithe. beith<\/strong> = birch tree, birch wood, the letter b in Ogham (\u1681)<br \/>\n<strong>beithech<\/strong> = birch land, grove of birch<br \/>\n<strong>beithe-luis(-nin)<\/strong> = Ogham alphabet (\u1681\u1682\u1685) &#8211; named after the first few letters<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<th>Irish (Gaeilge)<\/th>\n<td><strong>beith<\/strong> = birch (tree), letter B in Ogham (\u1681)<br \/>\n<strong>beith gheal<\/strong> = silver birch (<em>Betula pendula<\/em>)<br \/>\n<strong>beitheach<\/strong> = covered or planted with birches<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<th>Scottish Gaelic (G\u00e0idhlig)<\/th>\n<td><strong>beithe<\/strong> [beh\u0259] birch, the letter B in Ogham, birch wood\/forest<br \/>\n<strong>beith-gheal<\/strong> = silver birch<br \/>\n<strong>beith luis nuin<\/strong> = ABC<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<th>Manx (Gaelg)<\/th>\n<td><strong>beih<\/strong> = birch (tree)<br \/>\n<strong>beih argid<\/strong> = silver birch<br \/>\n<strong>beihagh<\/strong> = birch, birchen<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<th>Proto-Brythonic<\/th>\n<td><strong>*bedu<\/strong> = birch (tree)<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<th>Middle Welsh (Kymraec)<\/th>\n<td><strong>bedw, bed\u1efd<\/strong> = birch<br \/>\n<strong>bedwen<\/strong> = birch tree<br \/>\n<strong>bedwa\u1efdt<\/strong> = song of the birch, song of good omen<br \/>\n<strong>betuer\u1efd<\/strong> = birch grove, place abounding with birch trees<br \/>\n<strong>betguos, bedwes<\/strong> = birch grove<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<th>Welsh (Cymraeg)<\/th>\n<td><strong>bedw<\/strong> [\u02c8b\u025bd\u028a \/ \u02c8be\u02d0du] = birch, birch grove, maypole, birch-rod<br \/>\n<strong>bedwen<\/strong> = birch tree<br \/>\n<strong>bedw arian<\/strong> = silver birch<br \/>\n<strong>bedwerw<\/strong> = birch grove, place abounding with birch trees<br \/>\n<strong>bedwos, bedwes<\/strong> = birch grove<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<th>Old Cornish<\/th>\n<td><strong>bedewen<\/strong> = birch<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<th>Middle Cornish (Cernewec)<\/th>\n<td><strong>bedewen<\/strong> = birch tree, poplar tree, aspen tree<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<th>Cornish (Kernewek)<\/th>\n<td><strong>besow<\/strong> = birches<br \/>\n<strong>besowen<\/strong> = birch (tree)<br \/>\n<strong>besow arghas<\/strong> = silver birch<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<th>Old Breton (Brethonoc)<\/th>\n<td><strong>bedu<\/strong> = birches<br \/>\n<strong>beduan<\/strong> = birch<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<th>Middle Breton<\/th>\n<td><strong>bezu<\/strong> = birches<br \/>\n<strong>bezuenn<\/strong> = birch<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<th>Breton (Brezhoneg)<\/th>\n<td><strong>bezv<\/strong> [\u02c8b\u025b(z)w] = birches<br \/>\n<strong>bezvenn<\/strong> [\u02c8be(z).v\u025bn] = birch<br \/>\n<strong>bezveg<\/strong> [\u02c8be(z).v\u025bk] = birch grove<br \/>\n<strong>bezvenneg<\/strong> = birch grove<br \/>\n<strong>bezvennek<\/strong> = abounding in birches<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<p><strong>Etymology<\/strong>: from Proto-Indo-European <em>*g\u02b7etu-yo-s<\/em>, from <em>*g\u02b7et-<\/em> (resin, gum) [<a href=\"https:\/\/en.wiktionary.org\/wiki\/Reconstruction:Proto-Indo-European\/g%CA%B7et-#Root\">source<\/a>]. Words from the same Proto-Celtic roots, via Gaulish <em>*bitu\/betua<\/em> and Latin <em>*betius<\/em>, include <strong>betulla<\/strong> (birch) in Italian, <strong>bouleau<\/strong> (birch) in French, <strong>bedoll<\/strong> (birch) in Catalan, <strong>b\u00e9tula<\/strong> (birch) in Portuguese, <strong>\u03b2\u03b5\u03c4\u03bf\u03cd\u03bb\u03b7<\/strong> (veto\u00fali &#8211; birch) in Greek, and <strong>abedul<\/strong> (birch) in Spanish. The botanical Latin name for the genus <em>Betula<\/em> (birch) also comes from the same roots [<a href=\"https:\/\/en.wiktionary.org\/wiki\/betulla#Latin\">source<\/a>]. <\/p>\n<p>Sources: <em><a href=\"https:\/\/en.wiktionary.org\/\">Wiktionary<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/archive.org\/embed\/EtymologicalDictionaryOfProtoCeltic\">Etymological Dictionary Of Proto Celtic<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/www3.smo.uhi.ac.uk\/sengoidelc\/duil-belrai\/english.html\">In D\u00fail B\u00e9lrai English &#8211; Old Irish glossary<\/a>, <a href=\"http:\/\/dil.ie\/\">eDIL &#8211; Electronic Dictionary of the Irish Language<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.teanglann.ie\/en\/fgb\/ceann\">Teanglann.ie<\/a>, <a href=\"http:\/\/www.faclair.com\/\">Am Faclair Beag<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikisource.org\/wiki\/An_Etymological_Dictionary_of_the_Gaelic_Language\">An etymological dictionary of the Gaelic language<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/dictionaryq.com\/gaelg\/\">Fockleyreen: Manx &#8211; English Dictionary<\/a>, <a href=\"http:\/\/www.mannin.info\/Mannin\/fockleyr\/m2e.php\">Online Manx Dictionary<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/corpus.gaelg.im\/\">Gaelg Corpus<\/a>, <a href=\"http:\/\/geiriadur.ac.uk\/gpc\/gpc.html\">Geiriadur Prifysgol Cymru<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/archive.org\/details\/lexiconcornubrit00willuoft\/page\/n5\/mode\/2up\">Lexicon cornu-britannicum : a dictionary of the ancient Celtic language of Cornwall<\/a>, <a href=\"http:\/\/www.cornishdictionary.org.uk\/\">Gerlyver Kernewek<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/devri.bzh\/\">Devri : Le dictionaire diachronique du breton<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/geriafurch.bzh\/fr\">Geriafurch<\/a>, <a href=\"http:\/\/www.brezhoneg.bzh\/87-termofis.htm\">TermOfis<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Words for birch (genus Betula) in Celtic languages. Words marked with a * are reconstructions. Proto-Celtic *betwiyos \/ *betuy\u0101 = birch (tree) Gaulish betulla, *bitu, *betua = birch Old Irish (Go\u00eddelc) beithe = birch (tree) Middle Irish (Gaoidhealg) beithe. beith = birch tree, birch wood, the letter b in Ogham (\u1681) beithech = birch land, [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[16,101,19,20,44,25,115,21,3,36,5,6,37,7,27,8,9,10,93,11,12,13,23,82,72,18,14],"tags":[284,283,52,80,51,145,48,47,53,49,55,50],"class_list":["post-4601","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-breton","category-catalan-catala","category-english","category-etymology","category-french","category-gaulish","category-greek-","category-gaeilge-irish","category-language","category-latin","category-middle-breton","category-middle-cornish","category-middle-irish","category-middle-welsh-kymraec","category-nouns","category-old-breton","category-old-cornish","category-old-irish-goidelc","category-portuguese-portugues","category-proto-brythonic","category-proto-celtic","category-proto-indo-european","category-gaidhlig-scottish-gaelic","category-spanish-espanol","category-trees","category-cymraeg-welsh","category-words","tag-betula","tag-birch","tag-breton","tag-celtic","tag-cornish","tag-etymology","tag-gaelic","tag-irish","tag-language","tag-manx","tag-scottish-gaelic","tag-welsh"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.omniglot.com\/celtiadur\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4601","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.omniglot.com\/celtiadur\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.omniglot.com\/celtiadur\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.omniglot.com\/celtiadur\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.omniglot.com\/celtiadur\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=4601"}],"version-history":[{"count":18,"href":"https:\/\/www.omniglot.com\/celtiadur\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4601\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":8978,"href":"https:\/\/www.omniglot.com\/celtiadur\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4601\/revisions\/8978"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.omniglot.com\/celtiadur\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=4601"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.omniglot.com\/celtiadur\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=4601"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.omniglot.com\/celtiadur\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=4601"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}