Celtic cognates
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 |
Fish |
Parts of the body |
Colours |
Numbers |
Time expressions |
Musical terms |
Trees |
Other words
Celtiadur - a collection of Celtic cognates (includes definitions, pronunciation, etymologies, and older Celtic languages).
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.
Adjectives
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 |
| uasal |
uasal |
ooasle |
uchel |
ughel |
uhel |
high
elevated |
| íseal |
ìosal |
injil
ishil* |
isel |
isel |
izel |
low |
| leathan |
leathann |
lhean |
llydan |
ledan |
ledan |
wide
broad |
| caol |
caol |
keyl |
cul |
kul |
|
narrow |
| 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 |
| 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* |
| daor |
daor |
deyr |
|
|
|
unfree
dear
costly |
| nua |
nuadh |
noa |
newydd |
nowydh |
nevez |
new
fresh |
| úr |
ùr |
oor |
ir |
yr |
|
| 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 |
| glan |
glan |
glen |
glan |
glan |
glan |
clean |
| fliuch |
fliuch |
fliugh |
gwlyb |
gleb
glyb |
gleb |
wet |
| tirim |
tioram |
çhirrym |
|
|
|
dry |
|
|
|
sych |
sygh
segh |
sec'h |
| cruinn |
cruinn |
cruinn |
crwn |
krenn
kern |
krenn |
round |
Adjectives |
Conjunctions |
Pronouns |
Verbs |
People |
Animals |
Birds |
Fish |
Parts of the body |
Colours |
Numbers |
Time expressions |
Musical terms |
Trees |
Other words
Celtiadur - a collection of Celtic cognates (includes definitions, pronunciation, etymologies, and older Celtic languages).
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Links
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/
A comparison of the six modern Celtic languages
Celtiadur - a dictionary of Celtic cognates
Information about Celtic languages
Breton,
Celtiberian,
Cornish,
Cumbric,
Gaulish,
Irish,
Lepontic,
Lusitanian,
Manx,
Scottish Gaelic,
Tartessian,
Welsh
If you need to type in many different languages, the Q International Keyboard can help. It enables you to type almost any language that uses the Latin, Cyrillic or Greek alphabets, and is free.
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