This page contains words for parts of the body 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ae | adha | aane | afu | avi | avu | liver |
| ascaill | asgall | aghlish oghlish |
asgell | askel | askell | wing fin armpit |
| béal | beul | beeal | gwefus | gweus | gweuz | lip mouth |
| bolg | bolg | bolg | bol(a) | bolgh | bolc'h | belly stomach |
| bos | bas | bass | bos | bas | boz | palm fist |
| broinne | broinne | brein | bron bryn |
bronn | bronn | breast hill |
| ceann | ceann | kione | pen | penn | penn | head |
| ciall | ciall | keeall | pwyll | poll | poell | mind sense |
| cíoch | cìoch | keeagh | cig | kig | kig | breast meat flesh |
| corp | corp | corp | corff | korf | korf | body |
| craiceann | craiceann | crackan | croen | kroghen | kroc'hen | skin hide surface |
| croí | cridhe | cree | craidd | kres | kreiz | heart centre core |
| dorn | dòrn | doarn | dwrn | dorn | dorn | fist hand |
| eite | ite | fedjag | adain | aden† | attanoc† | wing fin feather |
| inga | ionga | ingin | ewin | ewin | ivin | nail claw talon hoof |
| fabhra abhra |
fabhra abhra |
ferroogh | amrant | abrans | abrant | eyelid eyelash eyebrow |
| féith | fèith | feh | gwyth | gooth | gwazh | sinew muscle vein channel stream |
| folt | falt | folt | gwallt | gols | guolt† | hair |
| fuil | fuil | fuil | gweli | goli | gouli | blood wound |
| glúin | glùin | glioon | glin | glyn | glinn | knee |
| gualainn | gualainn | geaylin geayliney |
ysgywdd | skoodh | skoaz | shoulder |
| ionga | ìne ionga |
yngin | ewin | ewin | ivin | (finger/toe) nail |
| lámh | làmh | laue | llaw | leuv | lav | hand arm |
| sáil | sàil | saayl | sawdl | seudhel | seul | heel |
| scamhóg | sgamhan | scowan | ysgefaint | skevens | skevent | lung(s) |
| súil | sùil | sooill | haul | howl | heol | eye sun |
| srón | sròn | stroin | ffroen | frig | froen | nose nostril |
| teanga | teanga | çhengey | tafod | taves | teod | tongue language |
| troigh | troigh | trie | troed | troos | troad | foot |
| tul | tul | tool | tâl | tal | tal | forehead brow head |
| uillinn | uileann | uillin | elin | elin | ilin | elbow |
[top]
These words are cognate in some of the Celtic languages.
| Gaeilge (Irish) |
Gàidhlig (Gaelic) |
Gaelg (Manx) |
Cymraeg (Welsh) |
Kernewek (Cornish) |
Brezhoneg (Breton) |
English |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| — | adhbrann | abane | — | — | — | ankle |
| aghaidh | aghaidh | oai | — | — | — | face front |
| aineach eineach |
eanach | — | wyneb | enep | eneb | face honour reputation |
| aisil | — | — | — | esel | ezel | part piece joint limb |
| alt | alt | olt | — | — | — | joint organ knuckle |
| éadan | aodann | eddin | — | — | — | brow forehead |
| áru† | àra | arrey | aren | — | — | kidney |
| — | — | — | asgwrn | askorn | askorn | bone |
| ball | ball | — | — | — | — | organ (male) member |
| — | — | — | blew | blew | blev | hair bristles |
| biss† | — | — | bys | bys | biz | finger |
| — | bòc | — | boch | bogh | boc'h | cheek bloat |
| boil(l)scén† | buillsgean | — | bogel | begel | begel | navel centre core |
| bonn | bonn | boyn | — | — | — | sole base foot |
| brac | brac | — | braich | bregh | brec'h | arm hand |
| brollach | brollach | brollagh | — | — | — | breast bosom |
| — | caill† | — | caill | kell | kell | testicle |
| — | — | — | calon | kolon | kalon | heart soul |
| caolán | caolan | collane | — | — | — | gut bowel |
| — | — | — | cefn | keyn | kein | back |
| cluas | cluas | cleaysh | clust | — | — | ear |
| — | — | — | clun | klun | klun | hip buttocks |
| coim | com | — | — | — | — | waist chest torso |
| cnámh | cnàimh | craue | cnaw | — | — | bone skull |
| cneas | cneas | — | cnawd | kneus | kneud (?) | skin flesh |
| colainn | colann | callin | celain | — | kelan | body torso corpse |
| — | — | — | coludd | kolodhyon | kaouded | intestine guts heart |
| cos | cas cos |
cass | coes | koos | — | leg foot |
| — | — | — | cramen | kramenn | scab sore crust |
|
| cró | crò | — | crau | krow | — | blood gore |
| déad | deud | — | dant | dans | dant | tooth |
| dreach | dreach | dreagh | drych | — | derch† | look aspect expression face |
| droim | druim | dreeym | — | — | — | back ridge |
| éadan | aodann | eddin | — | — | — | front face facade |
| esna | asna | asney | ais | asownn | — | rib |
| fiacail | fiacail | feeackle feeackyl |
— | — | — | tooth |
| galba | galba | — | gylfin | gelvin | golv | beak nose |
| gairr† | — | — | gar | garr | gar | leg shank thigh |
| gnúis | gnùis | grooish | gnis | greuv | — | face brow jaw |
| gob | gob | gob | — | — | — | beak bill point |
| grua | gruaidh | gruaie | grudd | grudh | — | cheek brow jaw |
| — | — | — | gwaed | goos | gwad | blood |
| — | — | — | gwddf gwddw gwddwg |
— | gouzoug goûg |
throat neck |
| imleacán | ilmeag | imleig | — | — | — | navel belly button |
| inchinn | eanchainn | — | ymennydd | ympynnyon | empenn | mind brain |
| intinn | inntinn | inçhyn | — | — | — | brain |
| leiceann | lethcheann | lieckan | — | — | — | cheek |
| — | — | — | llygad | lagas | lagad | eye |
| magairle | magairle | maggle | — | — | — | testicle |
| mala | mala | mollee | — | — | malvenn | eyebrow eyelid eyelash |
| méar | meur | mair | — | — | — | finger toe |
| más | màs | maaish | — | — | — | buttock(s) ham thigh |
| — | — | — | migwrn | — | migorn | ankle knuckle cartilage |
| — | — | — | min | min | min | lip mouth pout |
| muineál | muineal | mwannal | mwnwgl mwnwg mynwgl |
— | — | neck |
| — | — | — | pen-glin pen-lin |
penn glin />pedn glin |
penn-glin | knee |
| rí | ruighe | roih | — | — | — | forearm arm |
| scornach | sgòrnan | scoarnagh | — | — | — | throat mouth |
| tóin | tòn | thoyn toinn |
tin | tin† | — | bottom buttocks breech |
| — | — | — | trwyn | tron | stroen | nose snot |
| ucht | uchd | ught | — | — | — | chest breast lap |
| — | — | — | ysgyfarn† | skovarn | skouarn | ear handle |
Words marked † are archaic or obselete.
[top]
If you would like to make any corrections or additions to this page, or if you can provide recordings, please contact me.
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.
Breton, Celtiberian, Cornish, Cumbric, Gaulish, Irish, Lepontic, Lusitanian, Manx, Scottish Gaelic, Welsh
[top]
You can support this site by Buying Me A Coffee, and if you like what you see on this page, you can use the buttons below to share it with people you know.
If you like this site and find it useful, you can support it by making a donation via PayPal or Patreon, or by contributing in other ways. Omniglot is how I make my living.
Note: all links on this site to Amazon.com
[top]
