The six Celtic languages currently spoken are divided into two branches: Goidelic or Gaelic, and Brythonic or British. The former branch consists of Irish, Manx and Scottish Gaelic, while the latter branch includes Welsh, Cornish and Breton.
While there are many similarities between the languages in each branch, there are fewer similiarities between the two branches as they have had thousands of years to grow apart.
Adjectives | Conjunctions | Pronouns | Verbs | People | Animals | Birds | Sea creatures | Parts of the body | Colours | Numbers | Time expressions | Musical terms | Trees | Weather | Other words
A collection of Celtic cognates, with definitions, pronunciation, etymologies - includes the modern Celtic languages, older versions of these languages, such as Middle Welsh, Old Irish, and their extinct and reconstructed relatives and ancestors, including Gaulish, Celtiberian, Proto-Brythonic and Proto-Celtic.
Words marked with an asterisk are archaic and/or used only in place names. The Cornish words shown are in the Standard Written Form (Furv Skrifys Savonek) of Cornish. The Breton words are in Peurunvan/Modern Standard Spelling.
Gaeilge (Irish) |
Gàidhlig (Gaelic) |
Gaelg (Manx) |
Cymraeg (Welsh) |
Kernewek (Cornish) |
Brezhoneg (Breton) |
English |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
mór | mòr | mooar | mawr | meur | meur | big great large bulky |
bras* | bras | bras | bras | |||
beag | beag | beg | bach bychan |
byghan | bihan | small |
ard | àrd | ard | ardd | arth | arz | high elevated noble |
uasal | uasal | ooasle | uchel | ughel | uhel | |
íseal | ìosal | injil ishil* |
isel | isel | izel | low |
leathan | leathann | lhean | llydan | ledan | ledan | wide broad |
caol | caol | keyl | cul | kul | narrow thin gentle |
|
strizh | ||||||
deas | deas | jesh | deau de |
dyhow | dehou | right south |
clé | clì | clee | cledd | kledh | kleiz | left north |
maith | math | mie | mad* | mas* | mat/mad | good |
droch | droch | drogh | drwg | drog | drouk | bad evil |
mear | mear | merre | miri | meri | quick fast lively |
|
sona | sona | sonney | happy fortunate glad merry |
|||
llawen | lowen lowenek |
laouen | ||||
brón | bròn | bran | brwyn | sorrow sadness sad |
||
trist | trist | trist | ||||
saor | saor | seyr | free cheap |
|||
rhydd | rydh | rid* | ||||
cruinn | cruinn | cruinn | crwn | krenn kern |
krenn | round |
daor | daor | deyr | dear costly buffoon |
|||
drûth | drùth | drud | drudh | |||
nua | nuadh | noa | newydd | nowydh | nevez | new fresh |
úr | ùr | oor | ir | yr | ||
maoin | maoin | mayn | mwyn | muin | maon | gift property gentle thin |
milis | milis | millish | melys | melys | sweet | |
óg | òg | aeg | ifanc | yowynk yonk |
yaouank | young |
sean | sean | shenn | hen | hen | hen | old |
bodhar | bodhar | bouyr | byddar | bodhar | bouzar | deaf |
lán | làn | lane | llawn | leun | leun | full |
tiubh | tiugh | çhiu | tew | tew | tev | thick |
trom | trom | trome | trwm | heavy | ||
labhar | labhar | llafar | lavar | lavar | talkative | |
fliuch | fliuch | fliugh | gwlyb | gleb glyb |
gleb | wet |
tirim | tioram | çhirrym | dry | |||
sych | sygh segh |
sec'h | ||||
glan | glan | glen | glân | glan | glan | clean clear |
maol | maol | meayl | moel | mool | moal | bald bare |
fial | fial | feoilt | gŵyl | modest seemly |
Adjectives | Conjunctions | Pronouns | Verbs | People | Animals | Birds | Sea creatures | Parts of the body | Colours | Numbers | Time expressions | Musical terms | Trees | Weather | Other words
A collection of Celtic cognates, with definitions, pronunciation, etymologies - includes the modern Celtic languages, older versions of these languages, such as Middle Welsh, Old Irish, and their extinct and reconstructed relatives and ancestors, including Gaulish, Celtiberian, Proto-Brythonic and Proto-Celtic.
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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.
Stòr-fhaclan Co-dhàimheil Ceilteach (Database of Celtic cognates)
http://www.smo.uhi.ac.uk/gaidhlig/faclair/scc/lorg.php
McBain's Etymological Dictionary of the Gaelic Language
http://www.ceantar.org/Dicts/MB2/
Names of animals, birds and other creatures in Cornish
https://kw.wikipedia.org/wiki/Devnydhyer:DavydhT/Kyst_Tewes/Kalendar_Trest_Bewnans_Gwyls_Kernow
Geirfa Natur (Nature Glossary) - words for animals, birds, fish and other creatures in the modern Celtic language (Excel format, provided by Gwyn Harrison)
Breton, Celtiberian, Cornish, Cumbric, Gaulish, Irish, Lepontic, Lusitanian, Manx, Scottish Gaelic, Tartessian, Welsh
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