Category: Scottish Gaelic (Gàidhlig)

Celtic Pathways – Floors

By Simon

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In this episode we unearth the possible Celtic roots of words for field and related things in Galician and other languages.

Attic with added cusions

The Proto-Celtic word *ɸlārom means floor and comes from Proto-Indo-European *pleh₂ros (to be flat, from *pleh₂- (flat) [source].

Related words in the modern Celtic languages include:

  • lár [l̪ˠɑːɾˠ] = ground, floor, middle, centre in Irish
  • làr [l̪ˠaːɾ] = floor, ground, storey, middle, centre in Scottish Gaelic
  • laare = flat, level, set, sill, centre, bottom, deck, floor, storey in Manx
  • llawr [ɬau̯r] = floor, deck, stage, platform, cellar, ground in Welsh
  • leur = floor, ground, storey in Cornish
  • leur [løːr] = floor, ground, area in Breton

For more details of related words in the Celtic languages, see the Celtiadur post Floor / Ground.

Words from the same Proto-Celtic root possibly include leira (field, a strip of cultivable land) in Galician, leira (furrow, a strip of cultivated land) in Portuguese, llera (a pebbly or stony area) in Spanish [source].

Words from the same PIE roots include flat, floor, palm, piano, plan and plane in English, piazza [ˈpjat.tsa] (square, plaza, market, space) in Italian, Flur [fluːr] (hall, corridor, stairwell) in German, and vloer [vluːr] (floor, ground, surface) in Dutch [source].

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Celtic Pathways – Windy Braying

By Simon

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In this episode we discover the flatulent Celtic roots of words for to bray and related things in English, French and other languages.

Cacahuète braying

The Proto-Celtic word *bragyeti means to fart or flatulate and comes from Proto-Celtic *braxsman (fart), from Proto-Indo-European *bʰreHg- (to stink, smell, have a strong odour) [source].

Related words in the modern Celtic languages include:

  • broim [bˠɾˠiːmʲ] = fart in Irish
  • braim [brãũm] = fart, breaking of wind in Scottish Gaelic
  • breim = fart in Manx
  • bram [bram] = fart, gentle puff in Welsh
  • bramm = fart in Cornish
  • bramm [brãmː ] = fart in Breton

For more about words for fart and related things in Celtic languages, see the Celtiadur post: Breaking the Wind.

Words from the same Proto-Celtic root, Gaulish *bragiū (fart) and Latin bragiō (to bray, cry, weep), include (to) bray in English, braire (to bray, shout, cry, weep) and brailler (to shout, yell, speak very loudly) in French, and sbraitare (to shout, scream, yell, rant) in Italian [source].

Words from the same PIE root possibly include braña (mire, bog, fen, march, moorland) in Galician, flair, fragrant in English, flairer (to smell, sniff, scent, sense) in French, fragare (to smell) in Italian, and cheirar (to smell) in Portuguese [source].

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Celtic Pathways – Sooty Soot

By Simon

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In this episode we discover the possible Celtic roots of words for soot in English, French and various other languages.

Anybody else smell smoke??

The Proto-Celtic word *sūdyā means soot and comes from Proto-Indo-European *suh₃d- (soot [?]), or from sed- (to sit) [source].

Related words in the modern Celtic languages include:

  • súiche [ˈsˠuːçɪ] = soot in Irish
  • sùith [suːj] = soot in Scottish Gaelic
  • sooie = smut, soot in Manx
  • huddygl [ˈhɨ̞ðɨ̞ɡl / ˈhɪðɪɡl] = soot in Welsh
  • hudhygel = soot in Cornish
  • huzil [ˈhyː(z)il] = soot in Breton

For more about words for soot and related things in Celtic languages, see the Celtiadur post: Soot.

Words from the same Proto-Celtic root, via Gaulish *sūdiā (soot [?]), include sutge (soot) in Catalan, suie (soot) in French, and maybe soot in English, sot (soot) in Swedish, sadza (soot) in Polish, сажа (saža – soot) in Russian, and saze (soot) in Czech [source].

Incidentally, another Welsh word for soot is fflacs, which refers specifically to soot blown down a chimney on a windy day [source].

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Adventures in Etymology – Accents

By Simon

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In this Adventure in Etymology, we find what the word accent has to do with singing.

Adventures in Etymology - Accents

An accent [ˈak.sənt / ˈæk.sɛnt] is:

  • The way in which people in a particular area, country, or social group pronounce words.
  • A mark written or printed over a letter to show how to pronounce it.
  • A special emphasis given to a particular syllable in a word, word in a sentence, or note in a set of musical notes. [source – other meanings are available]

It comes from Middle English accent (accent, modulation), from Latin accentus (a blast, signal, accent, tone), from accinō / accanō (to sing to), from ad (to[wards]), and canō (to sing, recite, sound), a calque of Ancient Greek προσῳδία (prosōidía – song sung to music; pronunciation of syllable), from πρός (prós – to) and ᾠδή (ōidḗ – song) [source].

Words for accent in many other languages come from the same roots, as do the words chant, descant, enchant, incant and hen in English, canu (to sing, intone, chant) in Welsh, can (to say) in Scottish Gaelic, cicogna (stork) in Spanish, káně (buzzard) in Czech, and خوانْدَن (xândan – to read, recite, sing, study) in Persian [source].

Incidentally, the Ancient Greek word προσῳδία (prosōidía – song sung to music; pronunciation of syllable) is the root (via Middle French and Latin) of the English word prosody, which is study of rhythm, intonation, stress, and related attributes in speech, or the study of the patterns of sounds and rhythms in poetry [source].

You might believe that you don’t have an accent, but you do. We all do. You might think that because you sound similar to most people around you, you don’t have an accent, while people from elsewhere do. From their perspective, it’s you that has an accent. I have a bit of a wandering accent that changes depending on who I’ve been listening and/or talking to.

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I also write about words, etymology and other language-related topics on the Omniglot Blog, and I explore etymological connections between Celtic languages on the Celtiadur blog.

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Celtic Pathways – Gulls

By Simon

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In this episode we discover the possible Celtic roots of English and French words for seagull.

Gulls

The Proto-Celtic word *wailannā means seagull, and possibly comes from the Proto-Indo-European *wáy (oh! ah! woe! alas!), and maybe related to *waylos (howler, wolf) [source].

Related words in the modern Celtic languages include:

  • faoileán = gull, seagull in Irish
  • faoileann [fɯːlən̪ˠ] = gull, seagull, common gull in Scottish Gaelic
  • foillan = gull, seagull in Manx
  • gwylan [ˈɡʊɨ̯lan / ˈɡʊi̯lan] = sea-gull, fair maiden, glutton in Welsh
  • golan [ˈɡoːlan / ˈɡʊlɐn] = gull, seagull in Cornish
  • gouelan [ˈɡweːlãn] = seagull in Breton

For more about words for gulls and related things in Celtic languages, see the Celtiadur post: Gulls

The English word gull comes from Middle English gulle (gull, water bird), which was probably borrowed from a Brythonic language (Welsh or Cornish) [source].

The French word goéland [ɡɔ.e.lɑ̃] (gull, herring gull) was borrowed from Middle Breton goelan (gull, seagull) in the 15th century [source].

A more common French word for (sea)gull is mouette [mwɛt], which comes from Middle French mouette (seagull) from Old French moette (seagull), from maoe (seagull), from Old English mǣw (seagull) [source].

The Old Englsh word mǣw, comes from Proto-Germanic *maiwiz (seagull), from a non-Indo-European substrate, or is of imitative origin. It’s also found in Middle English as mewe (gull, seagull), in the archaic / dialectal English word mew (gull, seagull), in Dutch as meeuw (seagull), and in German as Möwe (seagull) [source].

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Celtic Pathways – Calamitous Swords

By Simon

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In this episode we discover the possible Celtic roots of some words for sword, hammer and related things in Romance and Slavic languages.

Swords

The Proto-Celtic word *kladiwos means sword, and comes from Proto-Celtic *kladeti (to stab, dig), from Proto-Indo-European *kl̥h₂dʰ-é-ti, from *kelh₂- (to beat, strike) [source].

Related words in the modern Celtic languages include:

  • claíomh [kl̪ˠiːvˠ/kl̪ˠiːw] = sword in Irish
  • claidheamh [kl̪ˠajəv] = sword in Scottish Gaelic
  • cliwe = sword in Manx
  • cleddyf [ˈklɛðɨ̞v/ˈkleːðɪv] = sword, blade, brace (on a door or wall) in Welsh
  • kledha = sword in Cornish
  • kleze [ˈkleː.ze] = sword, glaive (a light lance with a long, sharp-pointed head) in Breton

For more about words for sword and related things in Celtic languages, see the Celtiadur post: Swords & Spikes

Words directly from the same Proto-Celtic root *kladiwos (sword) include kladivo (hammer, gavel) in Croatian, kladivo (hammer, sledgehammer) in Czech, kladivo (hammer, stamp, maul, hammerhead) in Slovak, kladivo (hammer, sledgehammer) in Slovenian [source].

Words from the same Proto-Celtic root *kladiwos (sword), via Gaulish *kladyos (sword), and Latin gladius (sword, death, a gladiatorial contest), possibly include gladiator, gladiolus and glaive in English, esglai (fright) in Catalan, ghiado (sword, dagger, knife, frost, cold), and giaggiolo (iris [flower]) in Italian, gládio (sword, power, strength) in Portuguese and glaïeul (gladiolus) in French [source].

Words from the same PIE roots include calamity, clade, clergy, cleric, clerk, coup, and glaive in English, коля (kolja – to slaughter, butcher) in Bulgarian, kłoda (log, trunk, beehive, barrel) in Polish, and Holz (wood) in German [source].

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Celtic Pathways – Country Gardens

By Simon

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In this episode we uncover links between words for country and land in Celtic languages, and words for garden, wood and related things in other languages.

Bodnant
Bodnant Garden / Gardd Bodnant

The Proto-Celtic word *mrogis means border(land), march, mark, region, country, territory or province, and comes from Proto-Indo-European *mórǵs (frontier, border) [source]

Related words in the modern Celtic languages include:

  • brugh = dwelling, mansion in Irish
  • brugh [bruh] = broch (a type of Iron Age stone tower with hollow double-layered walls – see below), fortified tower, large house, mansion, fairy mound in Scottish Gaelic
  • brogh = broch in Manx
  • bro [broː] = region, country, land, neighbourhood, border, limit, boundary in Welsh
  • bro = country, land in Cornish
  • bro [broː] = counry(-side) in Breton

For more about words for border, land, country and related things in Celtic languages, see the Celtiadur post: Region and Country

Mousa Broch

Words from the same Proto-Celtic root, via Gaulish *brogis and Latin brogi-/broges, include brolo (vegetable garden, orchard, grove) in Italian, and breuil (wood, copse, coppice) in French, bröol (a lawn or vegetable garden surrounding house) in Cimbrian, and Brühl (enclosed land, (wet/swampy) meadow) in German (found mainly in place names).

Words from the same PIE root include margin, and march (a border region; formal, rhythmic way of walking) in English, and marge (margin, markup) in French, marca (brand, make, trademark) in Italian [source], Mark (a fortified border area, marches) in German, and mark (field) in Danish, as in Denmark [source].

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Celtic Pathways – Tan Oaks

By Simon

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In this episode we discover the possible Celtic roots of words such as tan, tannin and Tannenbaum.

September

The Proto-Celtic word *tannos means green oak, and comes from Proto-Indo-European *(s)dʰnwos/*(s)dʰonu (fir).

Related words in the Celtic languages include:

  • tinne = the letter t in the Ogham alphabet (ᚈ) in Irish
  • tinne [tʲenə] = the letter t (ᚈ) in Ogham; gorse, whin, furze (archaic) in Scottish Gaelic
  • taneru = to tan (hide) in Welsh
  • glastanen gelyn = holm oak in Cornish
  • tann = sessile oaks in Breton

For more about words for oak and related things, see the Celtiadur post: Oak (trees)

Words from the same Proto-Celtic roots, via Gaulish *tannos (oak) and Latin tannum (oak bark), include tan (pulped oak bark used in the tanning process of leather) in French, tano (stem, slip) in Galician, tanería (tannery) in Spanish, Tannenbaum (fir tree, Christmas tree) in German, θάμνος (thámnos – bush) in Greek, and tan, tannery, tannin (tannic acid) in English.

Words from the same PIE roots include thanë (cranberry bush) in Albanian, and धनु (dhanu – bow, Sagittarius) in Sanskrit. [source].

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Celtic Pathways – Oaken Larches

By Simon

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In this episode we discover the possible Celtic roots of words for larch (tree) in various non-Celtic languages.

Walk In A Larch Wood

A larch [ˈlɑːtʃ/ˈlɑɹtʃ] is a confierous tree of the genus Larix having deciduous leaves in fascicles (bundles). The most common type of larch tree in Europe is the European larch (Larix decidua), which is native to northern Italy. Other types of larch are availble.

The English word larch comes from early modern German Larche/Lärche, from Middle High German larche, from Old High German larihha, from Latin larix (larch), from Ancient Greek λάριξ (lárix – larch, Venice turpentine*), possibly from Gaulish *devro (oak?) from Proto-Celtic *daru (oak), from PIE *dóru (tree) [source].

*Venice turpentine = A thick substance made from the tree resin of the European larch (Larix decidua), formerly used as a component in the oil paintings to create glossy, translucent glazes [source].

Words in the modern Celtic languages from the same Proto-Celtic root include: dair [d̪ˠaɾʲ] (oak) in Irish, dair [darʲ] (oak) in Scottish Gaelic, darragh (oak) in Manx, dâr [ˈdaːr] (oak tree, leader, mighty lord) in Welsh, dar [daːr / dæːr] (oak) in Cornish, and dar [dɑːr] (oak) in Breton [source].

Words from the same Proto-Celtic root in other languages include: làrix in Catalan, lariks in Dutch learag in Scottish Gaelic, larch in English, Lärche in German, and lærk in Danish, all of which mean larch (tree) [source].

Incidentally, the French word mélèze (larch) has doubly Celtic roots: it comes from Franco-Provençal (Dauphinois) melèzo (larch tree), from Vulgar Latin *melice (larch), from Gaulish *mel- (larch) and Latin larix (larch). The Gaulish word *mel- comes from Proto-Celtic *meli (honey) [source].

Words from the same PIE root include δόρυ (dóry – spear) in Greek, terva (tar) in Finnish, dearbh (sure, certain) in Irish, tree, trim, and trough and true in English, and trä (wood) in Swedish [source].

See the Celtiadur post Oak (trees) for more details of words for oak and related things in Celtic languages. I also write about words, etymology and other language-related topics on the Omniglot Blog.

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Celtic Pathways – Leather

By Simon

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Close-up of a leather sole on a shoe form

The Irish word leathar and the Welsh word lledr both mean leather, and various other things. You might think that they were borrowed from English, but in fact the English word leather might ultimately come from a Proto-Celtic word, via Middle and Old English and Proto-Germanic [source].

The Proto-Celtic word for leather or hide was *(ɸ)letros, which comes from Proto-Indo-European *péltrom, from *pel- (to cover, to wrap, skin, hide, cloth) [source].

Related words in the modern Celtic languages include:

  • leathar [ˈl̠ʲahəɾˠ] = skin, hide, leather in Irish
  • leathar [l̪ʲɛhər] = leather, leathery in Scottish Gaelic
  • l(h)iare = leather in Manx
  • lledr [ɬɛdr/ˈɬeːdɛr] = leather, parchment, vellum, skin, hide in Welsh
  • ledher = leather in Cornish
  • lêr [lɛːr] = leather in Breton

The Proto-Germanic word *leþrą [ˈle.θrɑ̃] (leather), which was possibly was borrowed from Proto-Celtic, and from these roots we get words such as leather in English, leer (leather) in Dutch, Leder (leather, suede, hide) in German, læder (leather) in Danish, and läder (leather, suede) in Swedish [source].

Words from the same PIE root include pall, pelt, camouflage and film in English; plena (membrane) in Czech; piel (skin, fur) in Spanish, plah (to cover, veil) in Albanian, and pall (cloak, curtain, covering, tent) in Welsh [source].

See the Celtiadur post Leathery Hide for more details of words for leather and related things in Celtic languages.

You can find more connections between Celtic languages on the Celtiadur blog. I also write about words, etymology and other language-related topics on the Omniglot Blog.

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