Celtic cognates - Animals

This page contains words for animals that are cognate in all or some of the six modern Celtic languages.

Click on the English versions that are links and you will be taken to the Celtiadur, where you can see what each word means, and how some of them are pronounced. There are also details of related words and expressions, and words in older versions of the Celtic languages, such as Middle Welsh and Old Irish. More Celtic Cognates


Animals and other creatures

These words are cognate in all six Celtic languages.

Gaeilge
(Irish)
Gàidhlig
(Gaelic)
Gaelg
(Manx)
Cymraeg
(Welsh)
Kernewek
(Cornish)
Brezhoneg
(Breton)
English
asal asal assyl asyn asen azen donkey
ass
bairneach bàirneach bayrnag brennig brennik brennig barnacle
limpet(s)
banbh banbh bannoo banw banow banv piglet
sow
booa buwch bugh buoc'h cattle
cow
boc
poc (gabhair)
pocán
boc
boc-gobhair
bock
bock goayr
bwch
bwch gafr
bogh bo(u)c'h billy goat
broc broc brock broch brogh broc'h badger
carria cair-fhiadh
carbh-fheadh
çharroo carw karow karv deer
stag
cat cat kayt cath kath kazh cat
cat fireann cat fireann
moth-chat
cullach-cait
kayt firryn cwrcath
gwrcath
cwrcyn
kath kazh tomcat
male cat
capall capall cabbyl ceffyl cevil*
kevil†
kefel horse
coinín coinean
coineanach
conneeyn
conning
cwningen konin koulin
konifl
konikl
rabbit
coiléan cuilean quallian colwyn kolyn kolen puppy
cruimh cnuimh crooag pryf pryv
prev
preñv worm
maggot
insect
coo ci ki ki dog
hound
dobahrchú
dobhrán
dobhar-chù
dòbhran
dooarchoo dwrgi
dyfrgi
ci dŵr
dowrgi dourgi otter
beaver
damh damh dow dafad davas dañvad sheep
ox
deer
each each agh ebol ebel ebeul horse
colt
foal
gabhar gobhar goayr gafr gaver gavr goat
iora feòrag fiorag gwiwer gwiwer gwiñver squirrel
lao laogh lheiy llo leugh leue calf
luch
luchóg
luch lugh llyg
llygoden
logosen loc*
logodenn
mouse
shrew
marc† marc† mark(sleih) march margh marc'h horse
stallion
meann meann mannan myn min menn kid goat
míol mial meeyl mil mil mil animal
louse
insect
molt mult mohlt mollt mols maout ram
wether
muc muc muc moch(yn) mogh moc'h pig
nathair nathair aarnieu
ardnieu
neidr nader naer snake
piscín piseag pishin
pishanagh
cath fach kathik kazhig kitten
soc soc sock hwch hogh ho(u)c'h sow
pig
swine
snout
tarbh tarbh tarroo tarw tarow tarv bull
uan uan eayn oen oen oan lamb

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These words are cognate in some of the Celtic languages.

Gaeilge
(Irish)
Gàidhlig
(Gaelic)
Gaelg
(Manx)
Cymraeg
(Welsh)
Kernewek
(Cornish)
Brezhoneg
(Breton)
English
agh agh eilon
eilion
stag
deer
hart
ainmhí ainmhidh   anifail eneval aneval animal
beast
ainnir ainnir anner annor annoar heifer
girl
maiden
arc(án) orc(an) ark piglet
sow
art† art† arth arth arzh bear
baircne cath fenyw kazhez queen
female cat
beach beach byg† bee
drone
bearach biorach bustach (?) bullock
heifer
beithíoch beathach baagh animal
beast
bleidmhíol† bleidh-mhial blaidd bleydh bleiz wolf
sea monster
cana cana cenau cub
puppy
kitten
caora caora keyrrey caer† sheep
ewe
roebuck
caseg kasek kazeg mare
collach cullach
collach
collagh muc ceilliog kalloc'h boar
hog
stallion
crodh crodh cattle
wealth
dowry
danas demm (fallow) deer
doirb doirb durrag worm
larva
beetle
draenog draeneg hedgehog
eallach eallaidh ollagh cattle
cow
eas eas assag stoat
weasel
eidion ojyon ejon bullock
heifer
ewig euhic† deer
hart
stag
faol faol filliu wolf
wild dog
faol*
faolchú
faol
faol-chù
filliu wolf
fia fiadh feeaih deer
gadhar gadhar beagle
hunting dog
gamhain gamhainn gauin calf
giorria geàrr
gearrach
gearra(i)dh
hare
giúrann giùran gwyran goirann† barnacle (goose)
gráinneog gràineag graynoge hedgehog
gwenynen gwenenen gwenanenn (honey) bee
gwiber
colwiber
wiber
naerwiber
snake
adder
viper
hwrdd hordh (h)ourz ram
iwrch yorgh yourc'h roe-deer
loth lhiy llwdn lodn loen filly
colt
animal
bullock
os os ych oghen oc'hen ox
deer
láir làir laair mare
loarn† llewyrn lowarn louarn fox
madra
madadh
madadh moddey madyn
madog
dog
fox
madra rua madadh-ruadh fox
madra uisce madadh-uisge moddey ushtey otter
beaver
maigheach mwaagh hare
mathúin mathan maghouin bear
míol mór mial-mhór meeyl mooar whale
sea monster
minseach minnseag
minnseach
minjagh nanny goat
moirb† morgrugyn
mor
mŷr
myrr
moryon merion ant
moncaí moncaidh
muncaidh
mwnci
mynci
monci
monkey
muirm(h)il† morfil morvil morvil whale
fish
porchell porghel porc'helleg piglet
sow
reithe reithe rea ram
sarff serpont
sarf
sarpant snake
serpent
seangán seangan sniengan ant
searrach searrach sharragh foal
séd† hydd heizes stag
hart
deer
seileán seillean shellan bee
wasp
sgiarnag ysgyfarnog
sgyfarnog
skovarnek scouarnec hare
long-eared
sionnach sionnach
seannach
shynnagh fox
torc torc twrch torgh tourc'h wild boar
hog
ursa ors ourz bear

Geirfa Natur (Nature Glossary) - words for animals, birds, fish and other creatures in the modern Celtic language (Excel format, provided by Gwyn Harrison)

Celtic cognates

Complete Cognates, Partial Cognates . Cognates arranged thematically: Adjectives | Animals | Birds | Clothes | Colours | Conjunctions | Countries | Directions | Food and Drink | Landscape | Buildings | Languages | Metals | Musical terms | Numbers | Parts of the body | People | Pronouns | Prepositions | Sea creatures | Time expressions | Trees and Plants | Verbs | Weather | Tools | Other words | Names

Celtiadur

Celtiadur

The Celtiadur blog is a collection of Celtic cognates, with definitions, pronunciation, etymologies - includes the modern Celtic languages, older versions of these languages, such as Middle Welsh, Middle Breton and Old Irish, and their extinct and reconstructed relatives and ancestors, including Gaulish, Proto-Brythonic and Proto-Celtic.

Celtic Pathways

Celtic Pathways

On the Celtic Pathways podcast I discuss connections between the Celtic languages, and look for words with Celtic roots in non-Celtic languages, such as English, French, Spanish, Galician and Portuguese.

Words with an asterisk are archaic or obsolete

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If you would like to make any corrections or additions to this page, or if you can provide recordings, please contact me.

Information about Celtic languages

Breton, Celtiberian, Cornish, Cumbric, Gaulish, Irish, Lepontic, Lusitanian, Manx, Scottish Gaelic, Welsh

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