{"id":6007,"date":"2021-07-08T11:07:50","date_gmt":"2021-07-08T10:07:50","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.omniglot.com\/celtiadur\/?p=6007"},"modified":"2025-06-22T16:40:42","modified_gmt":"2025-06-22T15:40:42","slug":"river-mouths","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.omniglot.com\/celtiadur\/2021\/07\/08\/river-mouths\/","title":{"rendered":"River Mouths"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>Words for <strong>estuary \/ mouth (of a river)<\/strong> in Celtic languages.<\/p>\n<p><a data-flickr-embed=\"true\" href=\"https:\/\/www.flickr.com\/photos\/paulafunnell\/28034756471\/in\/photolist-JHksoc-JHkR54-JMd2M3-a95pU1-8bJX2r-JHkDx6-a92CaP-HTSqUE-JppnJ1-Jppyam-HTSmMS-a95zqf-a95wKq-HTQFgD-JQbp96-Jpq1Gu-JQaVji-JMcc2h-JpppLh-HTSVqs-Jpqm19-a92G8z-26eE4AQ-kqUqX-26eE5pU-LRW48h-oiYk7D-7TMGZ1-z4gSUx-Cu3QvL-d9gbc3-dBqmMN-iL6WPn-LRW3u3-dBjWtz-6XHmT1-28Xepx-26eE4k9-dBjW9R-6XDn2n-2UnNk2-Wdyteg-Wa8CNf-dBjWgp-a6Ya98-dBqn8w-2iNw6gy-Zxkv31-v3KxSi-28XhGB\" title=\"Aberaeron\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/live.staticflickr.com\/7562\/28034756471_2458fb1ff7_z.jpg\" width=\"640\" height=\"428\" alt=\"Aberaeron\"\/><\/a><script async src=\"\/\/embedr.flickr.com\/assets\/client-code.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<table>\n<tbody>\n<tr>\n<th>Proto-Celtic<\/th>\n<td><strong>*adberos<\/strong> = mouth, confluence (of a river)<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<th>Pictish<\/th>\n<td><strong>*\u1690\u1681\u1693\u168f<\/strong> (aber) = mouth, confluence (of a river)<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<th>Old Irish (Go\u00eddelc)<\/th>\n<td><strong>abar<\/strong> [\u02c8f\u02b2il\u02b2i] = confluence, river mouth<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<th>Irish (Gaeilge)<\/th>\n<td><strong>abar<\/strong> [\u02c8ab\u02e0\u0259\u027e\u02e0] = boggy ground, morass<br \/>\n<strong>abarach<\/strong> = boggy, muddy, sloughy<br \/>\n<strong>abracht<\/strong> = boggy place<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<th>Scottish Gaelic (G\u00e0idhlig)<\/th>\n<td><strong>abar \/ obar<\/strong> = confluence, place where two or more streams meet; marsh, bog, fen<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<th>Manx (Gaelg)<\/th>\n<td><strong>aber<\/strong> = range, pasturage, river mouth, bunker, run<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<th>Proto-Brythonic<\/th>\n<td><strong>*aber<\/strong> [a\u02c8b\u025b\u02d0r] = mouth, confluence (of a river)<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<th>Old Welsh)<\/th>\n<td><strong>oper, aper<\/strong> = estuary, mouth of a river<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<th>Middle Welsh (Kymraec)<\/th>\n<td><strong>aber<\/strong> = estuary, mouth of a river<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<th>Welsh (Cymraeg)<\/th>\n<td><strong>aber<\/strong> [\u02c8ab\u025br\/\u02c8a\u02d0b\u025br] = river mouth, estuary, confluence, bay, harbour, port, anchorage<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<th>Old Cornish<\/th>\n<td><strong>aber<\/strong> = estuary, mouth of a river<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<th>Middle Cornish (Cernewec)<\/th>\n<td><strong>aber<\/strong> = confluence of waters, the junction of rivers<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<th>Cornish (Kernewek)<\/th>\n<td><strong>aber<\/strong> = river mouth<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<th>Old Breton<\/th>\n<td><strong>aperou<\/strong> = estuary, mouth of a river<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<th>Breton (Brezhoneg)<\/th>\n<td><strong>aber<\/strong> = estuary, mouth of a river, confluence, creek<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<p><strong>Etymology<\/strong>: from the Proto-Celtic <em>*ad-<\/em> (to(wards), at)  and <em>*beros<\/em> (bearer, flow) [<a href=\"https:\/\/en.wiktionary.org\/wiki\/Reconstruction:Proto-Celtic\/adberos\">source<\/a>].<\/p>\n<table>\n<tbody>\n<tr>\n<th>Proto-Celtic<\/th>\n<td><strong>*eni-berom<\/strong> = carrying in<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<th>Old Irish (Go\u00eddelc)<\/th>\n<td><strong>*in(d)ber<\/strong> = river mouth<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<th>Middle Irish (Gaoidhealg)<\/th>\n<td><strong>inber, indber, inbir<\/strong> =  rivermouth<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<th>Irish (Gaeilge)<\/th>\n<td><strong>inbhear \/ inbhir<\/strong> [\u02c8ab\u02e0\u0259\u027e\u02e0] = river mouth, estuary, firth<br \/>\n<strong>inbhearach<\/strong> = having many estuaries<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<th>Scottish Gaelic (G\u00e0idhlig)<\/th>\n<td><strong>inbhir<\/strong> [in\u032a\u02b2\u026ar\u02b2] = estuary, river mouth, (internet) feed<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<th>Manx (Gaelg)<\/th>\n<td><strong>inver<\/strong> = estuary, river mouth<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<p><strong>Etymology<\/strong>: from the Proto-Celtic <em>*eni-<\/em> (in) and <em>*beros<\/em> (bearer, flow), from Proto-Indo-European <em>*b\u02b0er-<\/em> (to bear, carry) [<a href=\"https:\/\/en.wiktionary.org\/wiki\/Reconstruction:Proto-Celtic\/komberos\">source<\/a>]. <\/p>\n<p><strong>Notes<\/strong><br \/>\nThese words appear mainly in placenames such as Aberaeron, Abererch, Aberffraw, Abergavenny (Y Fenni), Abergynolwyn, Aberystwyth, Abergwaun (Fishguard), Aberhonddu (Brecon), Aberteifi (Cardigan), Aberdaugleddau (Milford Haven), Aberpennar (Mountain Ash) and Abertawe (Swansea) in Wales.<\/p>\n<p>Aberdeen (Obar Dheathain) , Aberfeldy (Obar Pheallaidh), Aberfoyle (Obar Phuill), Abernethy (Obar Neithich), Arbroath (Aber Brothaig), Invergowrie (Inbhir Ghobharaidh), Inverkeithing (Inbhir Ch\u00e8itinn), Inverness (Inbhir Nis), Inbhir N\u00e0rann (Nairn), Inbhir Pheofharain (Dingwall), Inbhir \u00d9ige (Wick) in Scotland.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Aber\/Obar<\/strong> appear in Scottish placenames of Pictish origin, and may have been borrowed from Pictish. <strong>Inbhir\/Inver<\/strong> appear in other placenames [<a href=\"http:\/\/www.ceantar.org\/Dicts\/MB2\/mb00.html#abar\">source<\/a>].<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Aber_and_Inver_(placename_elements)\">More details of placenames featuring Aber and Inver<\/a>.<\/p>\n<table>\n<tbody>\n<tr>\n<th>Old Irish (Go\u00eddelc)<\/th>\n<td><strong>g\u00e1eth<\/strong> = the sea, a stream, an estuary<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<th>Middle Irish (Gaoidhealg)<\/th>\n<td><strong>g\u00e1eth, g\u00e1oth, gaoth<\/strong> =  the sea, a stream, an estuary<br \/>\n<strong>g\u00e1ethlach<\/strong> = marsh, swamp<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<th>Irish (Gaeilge)<\/th>\n<td><strong>gaoth<\/strong> [\u0261e\u02d0h \/ \u0261i\u02d0h] = inlet of sea, estuary<br \/>\n<strong>Gaoth Dobhair<\/strong> [\u0261i\u02d0\u02c8d\u032a\u02e0o\u02d0\u027e\u02b2] = Gweedore (<em>a parish in County Donegal<\/em>)<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<th>Scottish Gaelic (G\u00e0idhlig)<\/th>\n<td><strong>geodha<\/strong> [g\u02b2\u0254.\u0259] = inlet, cove, gully (by the sea), indent(ation)<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<th>Manx (Gaelg)<\/th>\n<td><strong>giau<\/strong> = creek, inlet, cove<br \/>\n<strong>Giau Vooar ny Pershey<\/strong> = Persian Gulf<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<p><strong>Etymology<\/strong>: possibly from the Old Norse <em>gj\u00e1<\/em> (chasm, rift, crack) [<a href=\"http:\/\/www.ceantar.org\/Dicts\/MB2\/mb20.html\">source<\/a>].<\/p>\n<p>Words marked with a * are reconstructions.<\/p>\n<p>Sources: <em><a href=\"https:\/\/en.wiktionary.org\/\">Wiktionary<\/a>, <a href=\"http:\/\/www.faclair.com\/\">Am Faclair Beag<\/a>, <a href=\"http:\/\/www.mannin.info\/Mannin\/fockleyr\/m2e.php\">Online Manx Dictionary<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.teanglann.ie\/en\/fgb\/ceann\">Teanglann.ie<\/a>, <a href=\"http:\/\/dil.ie\/\">eDIL &#8211; Electronic Dictionary of the Irish Language<\/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:\/\/geiriadur.ac.uk\/gpc\/gpc.html\">Geiriadur Prifysgol Cymru<\/a>, <a href=\"http:\/\/www.cornishdictionary.org.uk\/browse?field_word_value=penn\">Gerlyver Kernewek<\/a>, <a href=\"http:\/\/www.arkaevraz.net\/dicobzh\/index.php\">Dictionaire Favereau<\/a>, <a href=\"http:\/\/www.brezhoneg.bzh\/87-termofis.htm\">TermOfis<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.wales.ac.uk\/Resources\/Documents\/Research\/CelticLanguages\/EnglishProtoCelticWordList.pdf\">English &#8211; ProtoCeltic WordList<\/a> (PDF), <a href=\"https:\/\/archive.org\/embed\/EtymologicalDictionaryOfProtoCeltic\">Etymological Dictionary Of Proto Celtic<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/create.blubrry.com\/resources\/podcast-media-hosting\/?code=omniglot\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.omniglot.com\/images\/banners\/banner_blubrry.png\" alt=\"Blubrry podcast hosting\" width=\"728\" height=\"90\"><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Words for estuary \/ mouth (of a river) in Celtic languages. Proto-Celtic *adberos = mouth, confluence (of a river) Pictish *\u1690\u1681\u1693\u168f (aber) = mouth, confluence (of a river) Old Irish (Go\u00eddelc) abar [\u02c8f\u02b2il\u02b2i] = confluence, river mouth Irish (Gaeilge) abar [\u02c8ab\u02e0\u0259\u027e\u02e0] = boggy ground, morass abarach = boggy, muddy, sloughy abracht = boggy place Scottish [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[16,26,19,21,3,22,6,37,7,27,8,9,10,40,69,11,12,23,18,14],"tags":[246,52,80,248,51,145,48,247,47,53,49,249,55,50,208],"class_list":["post-6007","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-breton","category-kernewek-cornish","category-english","category-gaeilge-irish","category-language","category-gaelg-manx","category-middle-cornish","category-middle-irish","category-middle-welsh-kymraec","category-nouns","category-old-breton","category-old-cornish","category-old-irish-goidelc","category-old-welsh","category-pictish","category-proto-brythonic","category-proto-celtic","category-gaidhlig-scottish-gaelic","category-cymraeg-welsh","category-words","tag-aber","tag-breton","tag-celtic","tag-confluence","tag-cornish","tag-etymology","tag-gaelic","tag-inver","tag-irish","tag-language","tag-manx","tag-river-mouth","tag-scottish-gaelic","tag-welsh","tag-words"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.omniglot.com\/celtiadur\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6007","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=6007"}],"version-history":[{"count":17,"href":"https:\/\/www.omniglot.com\/celtiadur\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6007\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":8853,"href":"https:\/\/www.omniglot.com\/celtiadur\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6007\/revisions\/8853"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.omniglot.com\/celtiadur\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=6007"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.omniglot.com\/celtiadur\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=6007"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.omniglot.com\/celtiadur\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=6007"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}