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
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 |
| bó | bó | 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 |
| cú | cù | coo | ci | ki | ki | dog hound |
| cuil cuileog |
cuil cuileag |
quill quaillag |
cylion(en) | kelyon(en) | kelien(enn) | fly gnat midge |
| 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 |
| — | — | — | cuan | kowan | kaouenn | owl |
| 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 |
| gearrán | gearran | g(i)arran | — | — | — | gelding pack-horse nag |
| 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 |
| míoltóg | mialtag | — | — | — | — | midge gnat |
| 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)
Complete Cognates, Partial Cognates . Cognates arranged thematically: Adjectives | Animals | Birds | Clothes | Colours | Conjunctions | Countries | Directions | Food and Drink | Landscape | Buildings | Languages | Metals | Musical terms | Names | Numbers | Parts of the body | People | Prepositions | Pronouns | Sea creatures | Time expressions | Tools | Trees and Plants | Vehicles | Verbs | Weather | Other words
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.
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.
Breton, Celtiberian, Cornish, Cumbric, Gaulish, Irish, Lepontic, Lusitanian, Manx, Scottish Gaelic, Welsh
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