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In this episode we are teasing out the origins of the word wool.
The Proto-Celtic word for wool is *wlanā. It comes from the Proto-Indo-European *h₂wĺ̥h₁neh₂ (wool), from *h₂welh₁- (hair, wool) [source].
Descendants in the Celtic languages include:
- olann [ˈɔlˠən̪ˠ] = wool, woolly hair, mop of hair; woollen in Irish
- olann [ˈɔl̪ˠən̪ˠ] = wool (usually while on sheep) in Scottish Gaelic
- ollan = wool in Manx
- gwlân = wool, down, soft hair, grass, herbage; woollen, soft, made of wool in Welsh
- gwlan = wool in Cornish
- gloan = wool in Breton
The English word flannel (a soft cloth material originally woven from wool, washcloth) comes from the same Proto-Celtic root, via Gaulish, Old French, Anglo-Norman and Middle English. This was reborrowed into French, and from French into other languages such as Italian, Spanish, Portuguese and Swedish [source].
Words for wool in other European languages come from the same PIE root, including wool in English, wol [ʋɔl] in Dutch, Wolle [ˈvɔlə] in German, and lana in Italian and Spanish [source]
More details about these words on Celtiadur, a blog where I explore connections between Celtic languages in more depth. I also write about words, etymology and other language-related topics on the Omniglot Blog.
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