Category: Etymology

Celtic Pathways – Leather

By Simon

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

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.

Radio Omniglot podcasts are brought to you in association with Blubrry Podcast Hosting, a great place to host your podcasts. Get your first month free with the promo code omniglot.

The Fastest Way to Learn Japanese Guaranteed with JapanesePod101.com

Adventures in Etymology – Grass

By Simon

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

In this Adventure in Etymology we find out whether the words grass, graze and green are connected.

Gertie and Bertie

Grass [ɡɹɑːs/ɡɹas/ɡɹ̠æs] is:

  • Any plant of the family Poaceae, characterized by leaves that arise from nodes in the stem and leaf bases that wrap around the stem, especially those grown as ground cover rather than for grain.

It comes from Middle English gras [ɡras] (grass, herb, pasture, meadow, fodder), from Old English græs [ɡræs] (grass), from Proto-Germanic *grasą [ˈɣrɑ.sɑ̃] (grass) from Proto-Indo-European *gʰreh₁- (to grow, become green) [source].

Words from the same roots include grow, green, gray/grey, graze and herb in English, groen (green) in Dutch, grasen (to graze) in German, and rohi (grass, medicine) in Estonian [source].

Incidentally, in British slang, a grass is an informer, police informer, or one who betrays a group (of criminals, etc) to the authorities. This is probably an abbreviation of grasshopper (police officer, informant), which is rhyming slang for copper (police officer) or shopper (informant).

So we’d better not let the grass grow under our feet and kick this into the long grass, because the grass is always greener on the other side of the fence and if we listen carefully, we can hear the grass grow.

Other grass-related idioms and expressions are available, and I wrote a song about the grass appearing greener called The Other Side. It goes something like this:

You can also listen to this podcast on: Apple Podcasts, Amazon Music, TuneIn, Podchaser, Podbay or Podtail and other pod places.

If you would like to support this podcast, you can make a donation via PayPal or Patreon, or contribute to Omniglot in other ways.

Radio Omniglot podcasts are brought to you in association with Blubrry Podcast Hosting, a great place to host your podcasts. Get your first month free with the promo code omniglot.

The Fastest Way to Learn Japanese Guaranteed with JapanesePod101.com

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.

Unlimited Web Hosting - Kualo

Celtic Pathways – Tin

By Simon

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

In this episode, we’re looking into the Celtic roots of some Romance tins.

french tinned butter biscuits

The Proto-Celtic word *stagnos means tin and probably comes from the Proto-Indo-European *sth₂gʰ-nó-s (standing, firm), from *steh₂- (to stand) [source].

Related words in the modern Celtic languages include:

  • stán = tin, tin vessel in Irish
  • staoin [sdɯːn̪ʲ] = tin, pewter in Scottish Gaelic
  • stainney = tin, can, tin-plate in Manx
  • (y)staen [ˈ(ə)staɨ̯n] = tin, pewter in Welsh
  • sten [stɛːn / steːn] = tin in Cornish
  • staen [ˈstɛːn] = tin in Breton

Words from the same Celtic roots, via Gaulish *stagnom (tin) and Latin stannum (tin, silver-lead alloy), include estany (tin) in Catalan, étain (tin) in French, stagno (tin) in Italian, and estanho (tin) in Portuguese [source].

I forgot to mention in the recording that the symbol for the element tin is Sn, which comes from Latin stannum, and the English words such as stannary (of or pertaining to tin mining, especially in Cornwall), and stanniferous (containing or producing the metal tin) come from the same roots [source].

Words from the same PIE roots include cost, distant, estate, instant, obstinate, stand, stem and stool in English [source], and words from heel in Celtic languages, such as sawdl in Welsh and sáil in Irish [source].

Incidentally, the word tin comes from Middle English tyn(ne) (tin), from Old English tin (tin), from Proto-Germanic *tiną (tin), probably from a pre-Indo-European language [source].

More about words for Tin and related tools 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.

Radio Omniglot podcasts are brought to you in association with Blubrry Podcast Hosting, a great place to host your podcasts. Get your first month free with the promo code omniglot.

The Fastest Way to Learn Japanese Guaranteed with JapanesePod101.com

Adventures in Etymology – Antique

By Simon

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

In this Adventure in Etymology, we find out what links the word antique with words such as eye, window and Antigua.

Antiques

Antique [ænˈtiːk] can mean:

  • An old object perceived as having value because of its aesthetic or historical significance (noun)
  • Having existed in ancient times, descended from antiquity; out of date, old (adjective)
  • to search or shop for antiques; to make (an object) appear to be an antique in some way (verb)

It comes from French antique (ancient, old), from Latin antīquus (old, ancient, aged, classic, traditional) from Proto-Indo-European *h₂énti-h₃kʷ-o-s (“facing the front, in front of the eye”), from *h₂énti (opposite, near, in front, before) and *h₃ekʷ- (to see, eye) [source].

Words from the same Latin root (antīquus) include antic in English, antik (ancient, antique) in German, and antiguo (old, ancient, vintage) in Spanish [source].

Antigua

The island of Antigua in the Caribbean also gets its name from the same roots, via Spanish antigua (ancient, old), and was originally named Santa María de la Antigua by Christopher Columbus to honour a mural known as Virgen de la Antigua or Santa María de la Antigua in Seville Cathedral (see below) [source].

Chapel of the Virgen de la Antigua

Other words from the PIE root *h₂énti (in front, before) include and and words beginning with ante-/ant(i)- such as antechamber and anticlockwise in English, antes (before, earlier, sooner) in Spanish, and anzi (on the contrary, indeed, actually) in Italian [source].

Other words from the PIE root *h₃ekʷ- (to see, eye) include eye, ocular, ogle and window in English, occhio (eye) in Italian, wyneb (face, surface) in Welsh, and oineach (honour, reputation) in Irish [source].

You can also listen to this podcast on: Apple Podcasts, Amazon Music, TuneIn, Podchaser, Podbay or Podtail and other pod places.

If you would like to support this podcast, you can make a donation via PayPal or Patreon, or contribute to Omniglot in other ways.

Radio Omniglot podcasts are brought to you in association with Blubrry Podcast Hosting, a great place to host your podcasts. Get your first month free with the promo code omniglot.

The Fastest Way to Learn Japanese Guaranteed with JapanesePod101.com

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.

Unlimited Web Hosting - Kualo

Celtic Pathways – Boring Tools

By Simon

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

In this episode we’re drilling down to find the possibly Celtic roots of words for drill, auger and related tools in some Romance languages.

Auger, shipwright's (x8)

The Proto-Celtic word *taratrom means auger and comes from the Proto-Indo-European *térh₁trom (tool for drilling), from *terh₁- (to rub, turn, drill, pierce) [source].

Related words in the modern Celtic languages include:

  • tarathar = auger in Irish
  • tora [tɔrə] = auger, gimble, gimlet in Scottish Gaelic
  • tarrar = drill in Manx
  • taradr [ˈtaradr] = auger, drill, borer, awl, gimlet in Welsh
  • tarder = drill in Cornish
  • tarar [ˈtɑː.rar] = augur, chignole (a hand drill), shipworm (mollusk) in Breton

Words that possibly come from the same Celtic roots, via Gaulish taratron (auger) and Late Latin taratrum, include taradre (to bore) in Catalan, trade (auger) in Galician, taladro (drill) in Spanish and tarière (auger) in French [source].

Words from the same PIE roots include thread, thresh, trout and throw in English, settentrione (north) in Italian, třít (to rub) in Czech, and drehen (to turn) in German [source].

Incidentally, an auger is a carpenter’s tool for boring holes longer than those bored by a gimlet (a small screw-tipped tool for boring holes); a plumber’s snake (a plumbing tool for removing obstructions from pipes); a tool used to bore holes in the ground, or a hollow drill used to take core samples of soil, ice, etc. for scientific study [source].

In Middle English it was a nauger [ə ˈnau̯ɡər], which was rebracketed as an auger in modern English. It comes from Old English nafugār (nave drill, lit. “nave spear”) – nave refers to the hub of a wheel and not the body of a church, and is related to navel [source].

The gār part of nafugār means spear, arrow or dart, and is possibly the root of the ger part of my surname Ager [source].

Auger should not be confused with augur, which refers to a diviner who foretells events by observing the behaviour of birds or other animals, or by signs derived from celestial phenomena, or unusual occurrences. In ancient Rome, an augur was an official who interpreted omens before the start of public events [source].

More about words for Drills & Augers and related tools in Celtic languages.

The theme tune for this episode is one I wrote in 2017 called The Clockwork Octopus / Yr Wythdroed Clocwaith. You can hear a longer version here:

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.

Radio Omniglot podcasts are brought to you in association with Blubrry Podcast Hosting, a great place to host your podcasts. Get your first month free with the promo code omniglot.

The Fastest Way to Learn Japanese Guaranteed with JapanesePod101.com

Adventures in Etymology – Folk

By Simon

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

In this Adventure in Etymology we’re looking into the origins of the word folk.

Ciarán Ó Maoinigh, Caitlín Nic Gobhann and Cathal Ó Curráín at Oideas Gael, Donegal, Ireland, July 2017
Some folk playing folk music

Folk [fəʊk / foʊk] can refer to:

  • People, persons
  • One’s relatives, especially one’s parents (e.g. my folks)
  • Short for folk music
  • A people; a tribe or nation; the inhabitants of a region, especially the native inhabitants. (Archaic)

It comes from Middle English folk [fɔlk] (people, nation, group, family, kin, relatives, humanity), from Old English folc [folk] (people, nation, tribe, crowd) from Proto-Germanic fulką [ˈɸul.kɑ̃] (people, tribe), *fulkaz (crowd, army), possibly from PIE *pleh₁- (to fill) [source].

Words from the same roots include fill, pleb, plenty, plural, plus and public in English, pul̃kas [ˈpʊlkɐs] (flock, crowd, regiment) in Lithuanian, pułk [puwk] (regiment) in Polish, and Volk [fɔlk] (people, native, tribe) in German [source].

The French word plouc [pluk] (country bumpkin, yokel) also comes from the same roots, via Breton plouk [pluːk] (yokel), from ploue [pluːe] (parish, countryside) Proto-Brythonic *pluɨβ (countryside, parish, common people) and Latin plēb(ē)s (common people, plebians) [source].

Related words in other Celtic languages include pluw (parish) in Cornish, and plwy(f) [pluːɨ̯(v) / plʊi̯(v)] (parish, poor relief, parishioners, people) in Welsh [source].

For more details, see the post about Land, Parishes & Enclosures on the Celtiadur.

You can also listen to this podcast on: Apple Podcasts, Amazon Music, TuneIn, Podchaser, Podbay or Podtail and other pod places.

If you would like to support this podcast, you can make a donation via PayPal or Patreon, or contribute to Omniglot in other ways.

Radio Omniglot podcasts are brought to you in association with Blubrry Podcast Hosting, a great place to host your podcasts. Get your first month free with the promo code omniglot.

The Fastest Way to Learn Japanese Guaranteed with JapanesePod101.com

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.

Unlimited Web Hosting - Kualo

Celtic Pathways – Bits and Pieces

By Simon

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

In this episode, we’re piecing together the Celtic roots of the word piece and related words.

Scattered puzzle pieces next to solved fragment

Piece comes from Middle English pece [ˈpɛːs(ə)] (piece, morsel, bit), from Anglo-Norman piece (piece, bit, part), from Late Latin petttia (piece, portion), from Gaulish *pettyā, from Proto-Celtic *kʷezdis (piece, portion) [source].

Related words in the modern Celtic languages include:

  • cuid [kɪdʲ] = part (of whole), share, portion, some in Irish
  • cuid [kudʲ] = portion, share, allotment, means, belongings in Scottish Gaelic
  • cooid = certain, some, stuff, assets, goods in Manx
  • peth [peːθ] = thing, object, material, stuff in Welsh
  • pyth, peth [pɪːθ / pɛθ] = commodity, material, matter, possession in Cornish
  • pezh [peːs] = piece, bit, room, part, what in Breton [source]

Words from the same Celtic roots, via Gaulish and Latin, include pièce (room, patch, piece, play, document) in French, pieze (piece, part) in Spanish, biisi (song) in Finnish, and ピース (pīsu – piece) in Japanese [source].

The Irish word píosa (piece, bit, patch, piece-work, literary or musical composition, coin) also comes from the same roots, via Middle Irish pís(s)a (piece, fragment, coin), and Middle English pece [source].

Incidentally, the French word pièce, has been borrowed into a variety of diffent languages, including Turkish – piyes ([theatrical] play), Russian – пьеса [ˈp⁽ʲ⁾jesə] (a play, piece [of music]), and Georgian – პიესა [pʼiesa] (a play) [source].

More about words for Parts and Portions 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.

Radio Omniglot podcasts are brought to you in association with Blubrry Podcast Hosting, a great place to host your podcasts. Get your first month free with the promo code omniglot.

The Fastest Way to Learn Japanese Guaranteed with JapanesePod101.com

Adventures in Etymology – Door

By Simon

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

In this Adventure in Etymology, we’re opening doors to find the origins of the word door.

Arched blue door at Dublin City Gallery

A door [dɔː / dɔɹ] is:

  • A portal of entry into a building, room, or vehicle, typically consisting of a rigid plane movable on a hinge. It may have a handle to help open and close, a latch to hold it closed, and a lock that ensures it cannot be opened without a key.

It comes from Middle English dor(e) [ˈdɔːr(ə)] (door), from Old English duru [ˈdu.ru] (door, opening) from Proto-West-Germanic *dur (door, hatch, flap) from Proto-Germanic *durz (door, hatch, flap), from PIE *dʰwer- (door) [source].

Words from the same roots include forum, forensic and thyroid in English, dörr (door) in Swedish, drws (door, doorway) in Welsh, dvor (court, courtyard) in Slovak and ترس (tors – shield, buckler) in Persian [source].

Incidentally, in Old English one word for window was ēagduru [ˈæ͜ɑːɡˌdu.ru], or literally “eye-door”. Another was ēagþyrel [ˈæ͜ɑːɡˌθy.rel], or “eye-hole” [source].

You can also listen to this podcast on: Apple Podcasts, Amazon Music, TuneIn, Podchaser, Podbay or Podtail and other pod places.

If you would like to support this podcast, you can make a donation via PayPal or Patreon, or contribute to Omniglot in other ways.

Radio Omniglot podcasts are brought to you in association with Blubrry Podcast Hosting, a great place to host your podcasts. Get your first month free with the promo code omniglot.

The Fastest Way to Learn Japanese Guaranteed with JapanesePod101.com

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.

Unlimited Web Hosting - Kualo

Celtic Pathways – Heather

By Simon

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

In this episode we look into the Celtic roots of words for heather in some Romance languages.

Heather

The Proto-Celtic word *wroikos means heather. Its origins are uncertain, and it possibly comes from a non-Indo-European substrate source [source].

Related words in the modern Celtic languages include:

  • fraoch [fˠɾˠeːx] = heather, heath, moor in Irish
  • fraoch [frɯːx] = heather in Scottish Gaelic
  • freoagh = heather, heath in Manx
  • grug [ɡrɨːɡ / ɡriːɡ] = heather, heath in Welsh
  • grug [ɡryːɡ / ɡriːɡ] = heather, heath in Cornish
  • brug [bryːk] = heather in Breton

Words from the same Proto-Celtic roots, via Gaulish and Latin, include brezo (heath) in Spanish, breixo (heather) in Galician, brugo (heather) and brughiera (heath, moor) in Italian, and bruyère (heath, heather, brier) in French [source].

Related words in other languages possibly include vřes (heather) in Czech, wrzos (heather) in Polish, viržis (heather) in Lithuanian, and ericaceous (Of or pertaining to the heath family; Acid-loving, acidic) in English [source].

Incidentally, the word heather comes from Old English *hǣddre (heather), from hǣþ (wasteland, wilderness, heath), from Proto-Germanic *haiþī [ˈxɑi̯.θiː] (heath, wasteland), possibly from PIE *kóy-t-os (forest, wasteland, pasture) [source].

Other words from the same roots include heath in English, heide (heath, heathland, heather) in Dutch, Heide (heath, heathland, nation, country) in German [source], and also coed (forest, wood, trees) in Welsh, koos (forest) in Cornish, and koad (wood, forest) in Breton [source].

More about words for Heather, and Trees, Wood(s) & Forests, 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.

Radio Omniglot podcasts are brought to you in association with Blubrry Podcast Hosting, a great place to host your podcasts. Get your first month free with the promo code omniglot.

The Fastest Way to Learn Japanese Guaranteed with JapanesePod101.com

Adventures in Etymology – Journey

By Simon

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

In this Adventure in Etymology we’re going on a journey to find out what links the word journey with words for day, heaven and god.

Teelin / Teileann

Meanings of journey [ˈdʒɜːni / ˈdʒɝni] include:

  • A set amount of travelling, seen as a single unit; a discrete trip, a voyage.
  • Any process or progression likened to a journey, especially one that involves difficulties or personal development.
  • To travel, to make a trip or voyage.

It used to mean a day, a day’s travelling or work, and an also refer to a group of giraffes.

It comes from Middle English journe [dʒurˈneː] (an endeavour, enterprise, attempt, journey, battle), from Old French journee [dʒuɾˈneːə] (day, daytime, a day’s journey or work, day of battle) from Vulgar Latin *diurnāta [jorˈnada] (the span of a day) from Latin diurnum (of the day, daily) from diēs (day), ultimately from PIE *dyḗws (heaven, sky) [source].

Words from the same roots include and deity, diary, diva, divine, journal, Tuesday, Jupiter and Zeus in English, journée (day, daytime) in French, giornata (day) in Italian, dia (day) in Portuguese, and dia / Dia (a god, God) in Irish [source].

In Old English, a word for journey was faru [ˈfɑ.ru]. It’s related to the modern English fare (money paid for transport, a paying passenger, food and drink), which used to mean a journey, voyage, course or passage. Farewell also comes from the same roots [source].

I had a bit of a cold when I recorded this, so if my voice sounds a bit croaky, you know why.

You can also listen to this podcast on: Apple Podcasts, Amazon Music, TuneIn, Podchaser, Podbay or Podtail and other pod places.

If you would like to support this podcast, you can make a donation via PayPal or Patreon, or contribute to Omniglot in other ways.

Radio Omniglot podcasts are brought to you in association with Blubrry Podcast Hosting, a great place to host your podcasts. Get your first month free with the promo code omniglot.

The Fastest Way to Learn Japanese Guaranteed with JapanesePod101.com

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.

Unlimited Web Hosting - Kualo