This page contains words for features of the landscape 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
Words for features of the landscape that are cognate in all six Celtic languages.
| Gaeilge (Irish) |
Gàidhlig (Gaelic) |
Gaelg (Manx) |
Cymraeg (Welsh) |
Kernewek (Cornish) |
Brezhoneg (Breton) |
English |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| abar | abar obar |
aber | aber | aber | aber | estuary river mouth |
| abhainn | abhainn | awin | afon | avon | aven | river |
| ailt | alt | alt | allt | als | aod | hillock hill(side) cliff coast |
| ard | àrd | ard | ardd | ardh | arz | height hill |
| bealach | bealach | bollagh | bwlch | bolgh | boulc'h | way pass breach road |
| beann | beann | beinn | ban | ban | bann | horn mountain top peak |
| broinne | broinne | brein | bron bryn |
bronn | bronn | hill breast |
| carraig | carraig | carrick | carreg | karrek | karreg | rock stone |
| cloch | clach | clagh | clog | clog | kleger | stone cliff |
| cnoc | cnoc | cronk | cnwc | krug | krec’h | hill mount mound breast |
| cruach | cruach | creagh | crug | krug | cruc | hillock heap mound pile |
| eiscir | aisgeir | sker | esgair | escher† | esker | ridge crag spur |
| gleann | gleann | glion(e) | glyn | glynn glydn |
glen | glen hollow valley |
| inis | innis | innis | ynys | enys | enez | island |
| lár | làr | laare | llawr | leur | leur | floor ground |
| leac | leac | leac | llech | legh | lec'h | stone slate |
| linn | linne | lhingey | llyn | lynn lydn |
lenn | lake pool |
| loch | loch | logh | llwch | logh | loc'h | lake pond inlet |
| má | magh | magh | maes | mes | maez | field plain |
| moned* monad† |
monadh | muyne | mynydd | menydh | menez | mountain moorland hillside |
| muir | muir | mooir | môr | mor | mor | sea |
| rinn | rinn | rinn | rhyn | rynn | rinn | point top cape promontory |
| ros | ros | ros | rhos | ros | ros | promontory wood |
| srath | srath | strah | ystrad | stras | strad | (flat) valley strath |
| sruth | sruth | stroo | ffrwd | fros | froud | stream river current valley |
| tír | tìr | çheer | tir | tir | tir | land country |
| trá | tràigh | traie | trai | trig | tre trec'h |
beach ebb shore |
| uaimh | uaimh | oghe ooig |
(g)ogof | gogow | gougoñ | cave |
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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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| achadh | achadh | — | — | — | — | field garden enclosure hedge plain |
| ol† | ail | — | ôl | ol | heul | since mark footprint track |
| áirí | àirigh | eairee | — | — | — | hill pasture sheiling milking place |
| áth | àth | aah | — | — | — | ford |
| brí | bre† | — | bre | bre | bre | hill mount hillock height |
| caí† | — | — | cae | ke | kae | field hedge |
| cladh clais |
cladh clais |
clash | cladd clais clawdd |
kleudh | kleuz | ditch groove trench |
| céide | cèide | — | pant | pans | pant | hill(ock) hollow slope |
| cluain | cluain | — | clun | — | — | meadow pasture moor |
| caolas | caolas | keyllys | — | — | — | strait narrows |
| com | — | — | cwm | komm | komm | (deep) valley coombe |
| cosán | casan | cassan | — | — | — | path |
| cuan | cuan | keayn | — | — | — | sea ocean harbour bay |
| cuas | cuas | — | cau | kew | kew | hollow cavity cave |
| díog | dìg | jeeg | — | — | — | ditch dike trench |
| — | — | — | — | dowrlam | lamm-dour | waterfall |
| eas | eas | eas | — | — | — | waterfall |
| eitre | eitre | eerey | rhych | — | reg | furrow trench |
| farraige | fairge | faarkey | — | — | — | sea ocean |
| fos | fos | — | ffos | fos | foz | wall butress ditch |
| — | — | — | ffynnon | fenten | feunteun | spring fountain well |
| gaoth | geodha | giau | — | — | — | inlet estuary cove |
| gort | gort | — | garth | orth | garth | field garden enclosure hedge plain |
| inbhear | inbhir | inver | — | — | — | river mouth estuary confluence |
| — | — | — | llanerch | lannergh | lanneg | glade clearing pasture |
| lear | lear | — | llŷr | — | — | sea ocean channel |
| leitir | leitir | — | — | — | — | hillside slope |
| machaire | machair | magher | magwyr | — | moger | plain field wall |
| maighean | — | — | maen | men | maen | stone place |
| — | — | — | nant | nans | (n)ant | stream |
| oileán | eilean | ellan | — | — | — | island |
| ré | raon | rheam | — | — | run | field garden enclosure hedge plain |
| rian | rian | rane | — | — | — | course path method river |
| — | — | — | rhyd | rys | red | ford |
| riathar | — | — | rhaeadr | — | — | waterfall torrent |
| ród | rathad | raad | rhawd | — | roud | road course route |
| séad | séad | — | hynt | hens hyns |
hent | path way course road |
| ser† | — | — | sêr | ster | ster | river star |
| — | sgìre | skeerey skylley |
— | — | — | parish |
| slí | slighe | sleayd | — | — | — | path track offspring |
| sliabh | sliabh | slieau | — | — | — | mountain moorland hillside |
| sliocht | sliochd | sluight | llwybr | — | — | path track section offspring |
| talamh | talamh | thalloo | — | — | — | ground earth land |
| tobar | tobar | tubbyr | — | — | — | source well spring |
| tom | tom | tom | tom | — | — | hillock knoll mound |
| trácht | — | — | traeth | treth | traezh | beach shore sand |
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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.
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 place names
https://www.logainm.ie/en/
https://getoutside.ordnancesurvey.co.uk/guides/the-gaelic-origins-of-place-names-in-britain/
http://asmanxasthehills.com/place-names-on-the-isle-of-man/
http://www.isle-of-man.com/manxnotebook/fulltext/pn1925/index.htm
https://getoutside.ordnancesurvey.co.uk/guides/the-welsh-origins-of-place-names-in-britain/
https://www.cornwalls.co.uk/culture/cornish_place_names.htm
https://www.fr.brezhoneg.bzh/7-noms-de-lieux.htm
http://bcd.bzh/becedia/fr/apercu-des-noms-de-lieux-de-bretagne-les-themes-utilises-dans-les-noms-de-lieux
Breton, Celtiberian, Cornish, Cumbric, Gaulish, Irish, Lepontic, Lusitanian, Manx, Scottish Gaelic, Welsh
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