This page contains words for people 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.
Words marked † are archaic/obsolete.
| Gaeilge (Irish) |
Gàidhlig (Gaelic) |
Gaelg (Manx) |
Cymraeg (Welsh) |
Kernewek (Cornish) |
Brezhoneg (Breton) |
English |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ab | aba abaid |
abb | âb abad |
abas | abad | abbot |
| altra | altrach | boandyr | athro alltraw |
alltrow | aotroù | foster-father nurse teacher lord |
| aspal | abstol ostal easbal |
ostyl | abost(o)l | abostel | abostol | apostle |
| bard | bàrd | bard | bardd | bardh | barzh | bard poet |
| bean | bean | ben | benyw menyw |
ben benyn |
e-ben | woman wife |
| bráthair deartháir |
bráthair | braar | brawd | broder | breur | brother |
| buachaill | buachaill | bochilley | bugail | bugel | bugel | boy child shepherd |
| buime | muime | mimmey | mam | mamm | mamm | mother stepmother nurse |
| cara | caraid | carrey | câr | kar | kar | friend relative |
| céile | cèile | cloan keilley |
cilydd | kyla | kile | companion spouse |
| clann planda |
clann plannt |
cloan plant |
plant | plans | plantenn | children clan plant |
| dia | dia | jee | duw | duw | doue | god deity |
| diúc | diùc | duic | dug | duk | duk | duke |
| draoi | draoidh | druaight | drwy derwydd |
druw drewydh |
drouiz | druid wizard |
| duine | duine | dooinney | dyn | den | den | person human man |
| easpag | easbaig | aspick | esgob | epskop | eskob | bishop |
| fear | fear | fer | gŵr | gour | gour | man husband |
| flaith | flath | flah | gwlad | gwlas gulas |
glad | prince lordship country nation |
| foireann | foireann | fwirran | gwerin | gwerin | gwerin | people staff plebs crew |
| gabha | gobha | gaaue | gof | gov | gov | (black)smith |
| lobhar | lobhar | lourane | llwfr | lover | lovr | leper cowardly spineless |
| lucht | luchd | lught | llwyth | looth | liezh | people tribe |
| mac | mac | mac | mab | mab | mab | son boy |
| máistir | maigh(i)stir | mainshtyr | meistr | mester | mestr | master |
| manach | manach | maynagh monnagh |
mynach | managh | manac'h | monk |
| maor | maor | meoir | maer | maynor | merour | steward agent baliff |
| marcach | marcach | markiagh | marchog | marghek | marc'heg | horseman rider jockey |
| máthair | màthair | moir | modryb | modrep | moereb | mother aunt |
| méara | mèar | meoir | maer(es) | mer(es) | maer(ez) | mayor(ess) |
| nia | nia | neear | nai | noy | niz | nephew |
| pobal | poball | pobble | pobl | pobel | pobl | people family |
| rí | rìgh | ree | rhi | riel | ri† | king |
| scoláire | sgoilear | schoillar | (y)sgolor | skoler | skolaer | scholar pupil student |
| slua | sluagh | sleih | llu | lu | lu | people horde force |
| siúr* deirfiúr |
siùir* puithar |
shuyr | chwaer | hwor | c'hoar | sister |
| teaghlach | teaghlach | thielagh | teulu | teylu | tiegezh | family household |
| tiarna | tighearna | çhiarn | teyrn | tern† | tiern | lord ruler king |
| tuath | tuath | theay | tud | tus | tud | tribe people territory |
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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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| abhac | abhag | — | afanc | — | avank | dwarf beaver terrier |
| amadán | amadan | ommidan | — | — | — | idiot (m) fool clown |
| amhas | amhas | — | amaeth | ammeth | ambaith† | servant ploughman savage |
| amnair† | — | — | ewythr | ewnter | eontr | uncle |
| ardfhlaith | iar-fhlath | — | arglwydd | arlodh | — | lord baron master |
| athair | athair | ayr | -atr† | — | — | father |
| balach† | balach | — | — | — | — | lad clown giant |
| — | — | — | balog | — | beleg | priest leader |
| banríon | banrìgh | ben-rein | — | — | — | queen |
| — | — | — | brenin | bryntin brentin |
brientin | king aristocrat |
| cacht | cachd† | — | caeth | keth | kaezh keizh |
captive servant slave bondage |
| cailleach | cailleach | caillagh | — | — | — | old woman hag witch |
| — | — | — | cefnder | kanderow | kenderv | cousin (m) brother |
| cing† | cing | — | — | — | — | warrior champion |
| comhar | coimheart | — | cymar | kespar | — | partner(ship) companion spouse |
| curadh | curadh | — | cawr | kowr | — | warrior hero giant |
| — | — | — | cyfnither | keniterow | keniterv | cousin (f) |
| — | — | — | cywaith | koweth(es) | — | companion comrade friend |
| dalta | dalta | doltey | — | — | — | foster child pupil disciple |
| dámh | dàmh | — | daw | deuv | deuñv | son-in-law retinue faculty |
| deisceabal | deisgiobal | — | disgybl | dyskybel | diskibl | disciple pupil |
| dochtúir | dotair | doghtoor | — | — | — | doctor |
| fáigh | fàidh | fadeyr | gwawd | — | — | seer prophet poem |
| file | filidh | feelee | — | — | — | seer poet |
| fine | fine | — | — | — | gouenn | family tribe race |
| foss† | — | — | gwas | gwas | gwaz | servant boy husband |
| frac† | — | — | gwrach | gwragh | gwrac'h | old woman hag witch |
| iníon | nighean | inneen 'neen |
— | — | — | daughter girl |
| lia | lèigh lighiche |
lhee | — | — | — | doctor healer physician |
| mac léinn | mac-léighinn† | — | — | — | — | student |
| mainaches† | — | — | mynaches | managhes | manac'hez | nun |
| meabhraitheoir | — | — | myfyriwr | — | — | student thoughtful person |
| — | — | — | mechdeyrn mychdeyrn machdeyrn |
metern myghtern |
machtiern† | king monarch |
| — | — | — | meddyg | medhek | mezeg | doctor |
| muintir | muinntir | mooinjer | — | — | — | household folk family |
| neacht | nigh | — | nith | nith noyth |
nizh | niece daughter |
| ó | ogha | oe | wyr | — | — | grandson descendent |
| óinseach | òinseach | oainjyr | — | — | — | foolish woman idiot (f) mistress |
| oide | oide | gegjey | — | — | — | foster-father teacher tutor |
| ollamh | ollamh | olloo | — | — | — | master professor |
| — | — | — | pendefig | pennsevik pednsyvik |
pinvidik | chief prince rich |
| — | — | — | rhwyfanes | ruvanes | rouanez | queen |
| sagart | sagart | saggyrt | — | — | — | priest |
| saoi | saoidh | — | syw | — | — | master expert excellent |
| saor | saor | seyr | saer | ser | — | artificer joiner carpenter craftsman |
| — | smarach (lad) |
— | merch | myrgh | merc'h | daughter girl |
| — | stuidear | studeyr | ystudiwr | studhyer | studier | student scholar academic |
| — | — | — | tad | tas | tad | father |
| táilliúir | tàillear | thalhear | teiliwr | — | tailher | tailor |
| taoiseach | toiseach | toshiagh | tywysog | — | toguisoc† | chief leader prince |
| uachtarán | uachdaran | eaghtyran(e) | — | — | — | president laird chief |
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.
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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/
MAGUS: Multilingual Animal Glossary of Unveiled Synonyms
http://www.informatika.bf.uni-lj.si/magus-celtic&basque.html
Breton, Celtiberian, Cornish, Cumbric, Gaulish, Irish, Lepontic, Lusitanian, Manx, Scottish Gaelic, Welsh
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