{"id":4085,"date":"2025-08-30T18:35:25","date_gmt":"2025-08-30T18:35:25","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.omniglot.com\/radio\/?p=4085"},"modified":"2025-08-30T18:35:25","modified_gmt":"2025-08-30T18:35:25","slug":"celtic-pathways-birches","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.omniglot.com\/radio\/?p=4085","title":{"rendered":"Celtic Pathways &#8211; Birches"},"content":{"rendered":"<div itemscope itemtype=\"http:\/\/schema.org\/AudioObject\"><meta itemprop=\"name\" content=\"Celtic Pathways &amp;#8211; Birches\" \/><meta itemprop=\"uploadDate\" content=\"2025-08-30T18:35:25+00:00\" \/><meta itemprop=\"encodingFormat\" content=\"audio\/mpeg\" \/><meta itemprop=\"duration\" content=\"PT2M08S\" \/><meta itemprop=\"description\" content=\"In this episode we unearth the Celtic roots of words for birch (tree) in various languages.\n\n\n\nThe Proto-Celtic word *betuy\u0101 means birch tree, and comes from Proto-Indo-European *g\u02b7etu-yo-s, from *g\u02b7et- (resin, gum) [source].\n\nDescendents in the mode...\" \/><meta itemprop=\"contentUrl\" content=\"https:\/\/media.blubrry.com\/radio_omniglot\/www.omniglot.com\/soundfiles\/celticpathways\/birches.mp3\" \/><meta itemprop=\"contentSize\" content=\"2.2\" \/><div class=\"powerpress_player\" id=\"powerpress_player_6603\"><audio class=\"wp-audio-shortcode\" id=\"audio-4085-1\" preload=\"none\" style=\"width: 100%;\" controls=\"controls\"><source type=\"audio\/mpeg\" src=\"https:\/\/media.blubrry.com\/radio_omniglot\/www.omniglot.com\/soundfiles\/celticpathways\/birches.mp3?_=1\" \/><a href=\"https:\/\/media.blubrry.com\/radio_omniglot\/www.omniglot.com\/soundfiles\/celticpathways\/birches.mp3\">https:\/\/media.blubrry.com\/radio_omniglot\/www.omniglot.com\/soundfiles\/celticpathways\/birches.mp3<\/a><\/audio><\/div><\/div><p class=\"powerpress_links powerpress_links_mp3\" style=\"margin-bottom: 1px !important;\">Podcast: <a href=\"https:\/\/media.blubrry.com\/radio_omniglot\/www.omniglot.com\/soundfiles\/celticpathways\/birches.mp3\" class=\"powerpress_link_pinw\" target=\"_blank\" title=\"Play in new window\" onclick=\"return powerpress_pinw('https:\/\/www.omniglot.com\/radio\/?powerpress_pinw=4085-podcast');\" rel=\"nofollow\">Play in new window<\/a> | <a href=\"https:\/\/media.blubrry.com\/radio_omniglot\/www.omniglot.com\/soundfiles\/celticpathways\/birches.mp3\" class=\"powerpress_link_d\" title=\"Download\" rel=\"nofollow\" download=\"birches.mp3\">Download<\/a><\/p><p>In this episode we unearth the Celtic roots of words for <strong>birch<\/strong> (tree) in various languages.<\/p>\n<p><a data-flickr-embed=\"true\" href=\"https:\/\/www.flickr.com\/photos\/chivacongelado\/3919432214\/in\/photolist-6Ym7Du-9zxc5s-3AyAp9-82uhDX-5uRtDC-eLVCVh-Yxrhok-ghJFKA-dhCuwv-dhCEbn-d7cvS3-34oiZP-dhCMmG-asQqGa-9sLdmc-3ebDsv-aJhd8a-4H38HM-dhEEzF-gds4uV-hGnkM-fYyHrP-34HS5-9fG1S-Vtxjc8-qcmDdi-hEKkDb-FkAb8g-2CSBf-cZCuLY-Bq2U-4hsCSz-CgHgAy-gFLBMJ-B6s7EL-sVUunj-6dqLHX-4QG5n3-QuxkVu-MLT99j-gExoLB-27Kkg1L-ZCKRpi-cZCuXw-GzE9ja-NsyKHi-apYX4z-aFz12k-cZCuSb-gFM14Z\" title=\"Birch forest\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/live.staticflickr.com\/3485\/3919432214_4f49b2a310_z.jpg\" width=\"640\" height=\"480\" alt=\"Birch forest\"\/><\/a><script async src=\"\/\/embedr.flickr.com\/assets\/client-code.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<p>The Proto-Celtic word <strong>*betuy\u0101<\/strong> means birch tree, and comes from Proto-Indo-European <em>*g\u02b7etu-yo-s<\/em>, from <em>*g\u02b7et-<\/em> (resin, gum) [<a href=\"https:\/\/en.wiktionary.org\/wiki\/Reconstruction:Proto-Celtic\/betuy%C4%81\">source<\/a>].<\/p>\n<p>Descendents in the modern Celtic languages include:  <\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>beith<\/strong> = birch (tree), letter B in Ogham (\u1681) in Irish<\/li>\n<li><strong>beithe<\/strong> [beh\u0259] birch, birch wood\/forest in Scottish Gaelic<\/li>\n<li><strong>beih<\/strong> = birch (tree) in Manx<\/li>\n<li><strong>bedw<\/strong> [\u02c8b\u025bd\u028a] = birch(es), birch grove, maypole, birch-rod in Welsh<\/li>\n<li><strong>besow<\/strong> = birches in Cornish<\/li>\n<li><strong>bezv<\/strong> [\u02c8b\u025b(z)w] = birches in Breton<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>More details of words for <strong>birch<\/strong> in Celtic languages can be found in the Celtiadur post <a href=\"https:\/\/www.omniglot.com\/celtiadur\/2019\/09\/09\/birch-trees\/\">Birch (trees)<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>Words from the same Proto-Celtic roots, via Gaulish <em>*bitu\/betua<\/em> and Latin <em>*betius<\/em>, include <strong>betulla<\/strong> (birch) in Italian, <strong>bouleau<\/strong> (birch) in French, <strong>\u03b2\u03b5\u03c4\u03bf\u03cd\u03bb\u03b7<\/strong> (veto\u00fali &#8211; birch) in Greek, and <strong>abedul<\/strong> (birch) in Spanish [<a href=\"https:\/\/en.wiktionary.org\/wiki\/betulla#Latin\">source<\/a>]. <\/p>\n<p>The botanical Latin name for the genus, <em>Betula<\/em> (birch), also comes from the same roots [<a href=\"https:\/\/en.wiktionary.org\/wiki\/Betula\">source<\/a>].<\/p>\n<p>Incidentally, the English word <strong>birch<\/strong> comes from Middle English <em>birche<\/em> (birch), from Old English <em>bier\u010be<\/em> (birch), from Proto-West Germanic <em>*birkij\u0101<\/em> (birch), from Proto-Germanic <em>*birkij\u01ed<\/em> (birch), from PIE <em>*b\u02b0erH\u01f5os<\/em> (birch), from <em>*b\u02b0erH\u01f5-<\/em> (to shine, to gleam, whiten) [<a href=\"https:\/\/en.wiktionary.org\/wiki\/birch#English\">source<\/a>].<\/p>\n<p>Words from the same roots possibly include:  <strong>bredh<\/strong> (fir tree) in Albanian, <strong>bj\u00f6rk<\/strong> (birch) in Swedish, <strong>b\u00e9r\u017eas<\/strong> (birch) in Lithuanian and <strong>b\u0159ezen<\/strong> (March) in Czech [<a href=\"https:\/\/en.wiktionary.org\/wiki\/Reconstruction:Proto-Indo-European\/b%CA%B0erH%C7%B5%C3%B3s\">source<\/a>].<\/p>\n<p>Radio Omniglot podcasts are brought to you in association with <a href=\"https:\/\/blubrry.com\/services\/podcast-hosting\/?code=omniglot\">Blubrry Podcast Hosting<\/a>, a great place to host your podcasts. Get your first month free with the promo code <strong>omniglot<\/strong>.<\/p>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/pagead2.googlesyndication.com\/pagead\/js\/adsbygoogle.js?client=ca-pub-5001128073855040\"\n     crossorigin=\"anonymous\"><\/script><br \/>\n<!-- Blog horizontal --><br \/>\n<ins class=\"adsbygoogle\"\n     style=\"display:block\"\n     data-ad-client=\"ca-pub-5001128073855040\"\n     data-ad-slot=\"1685480124\"\n     data-ad-format=\"auto\"\n     data-full-width-responsive=\"true\"><\/ins><br \/>\n<script>\n     (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});\n<\/script><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<div itemscope itemtype=\"http:\/\/schema.org\/AudioObject\"><meta itemprop=\"name\" content=\"Celtic Pathways &amp;#8211; Birches\" \/><meta itemprop=\"uploadDate\" content=\"2025-08-30T18:35:25+00:00\" \/><meta itemprop=\"encodingFormat\" content=\"audio\/mpeg\" \/><meta itemprop=\"duration\" content=\"PT2M08S\" \/><meta itemprop=\"description\" content=\"In this episode we unearth the Celtic roots of words for birch (tree) in various languages.\n\n\n\nThe Proto-Celtic word *betuy\u0101 means birch tree, and comes from Proto-Indo-European *g\u02b7etu-yo-s, from *g\u02b7et- (resin, gum) [source].\n\nDescendents in the mode...\" \/><meta itemprop=\"contentUrl\" content=\"https:\/\/media.blubrry.com\/radio_omniglot\/www.omniglot.com\/soundfiles\/celticpathways\/birches.mp3\" \/><meta itemprop=\"contentSize\" content=\"2.2\" \/><div class=\"powerpress_player\" id=\"powerpress_player_6604\"><audio class=\"wp-audio-shortcode\" id=\"audio-4085-2\" preload=\"none\" style=\"width: 100%;\" controls=\"controls\"><source type=\"audio\/mpeg\" src=\"https:\/\/media.blubrry.com\/radio_omniglot\/www.omniglot.com\/soundfiles\/celticpathways\/birches.mp3?_=2\" \/><a href=\"https:\/\/media.blubrry.com\/radio_omniglot\/www.omniglot.com\/soundfiles\/celticpathways\/birches.mp3\">https:\/\/media.blubrry.com\/radio_omniglot\/www.omniglot.com\/soundfiles\/celticpathways\/birches.mp3<\/a><\/audio><\/div><\/div><p class=\"powerpress_links powerpress_links_mp3\" style=\"margin-bottom: 1px !important;\">Podcast: <a href=\"https:\/\/media.blubrry.com\/radio_omniglot\/www.omniglot.com\/soundfiles\/celticpathways\/birches.mp3\" class=\"powerpress_link_pinw\" target=\"_blank\" title=\"Play in new window\" onclick=\"return powerpress_pinw('https:\/\/www.omniglot.com\/radio\/?powerpress_pinw=4085-podcast');\" rel=\"nofollow\">Play in new window<\/a> | <a href=\"https:\/\/media.blubrry.com\/radio_omniglot\/www.omniglot.com\/soundfiles\/celticpathways\/birches.mp3\" class=\"powerpress_link_d\" title=\"Download\" rel=\"nofollow\" download=\"birches.mp3\">Download<\/a><\/p><p>In this episode we unearth the Celtic roots of words for birch (tree) in various languages. The Proto-Celtic word *betuy\u0101 means birch tree, and comes from Proto-Indo-European *g\u02b7etu-yo-s, from *g\u02b7et- (resin, gum) [source]. Descendents in the modern Celtic languages include: beith = birch (tree), letter B in Ogham (\u1681) in Irish beithe [beh\u0259] birch, birch [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[126,38,122,37,33,20,56,23,117,61,6,12,4,50,156,36,58,11,55,1,94,57,59,119,5,28,30,7],"tags":[309,306,308,139,90,14,9,15,88,8,307,103],"class_list":["post-4085","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-albanian-shqip","category-breton","category-celtic-pathways","category-cornish","category-czech","category-english","category-etymology","category-french","category-gaulish","category-greek-","category-irish","category-italian","category-language","category-latin","category-lithuanian-lietuviu-kalba","category-manx","category-middle-english","category-music","category-old-english-aenglisc","category-podcast","category-proto-celtic","category-proto-germanic","category-proto-indo-european","category-proto-west-germanic","category-scottish-gaelic","category-spanish","category-swedish","category-welsh","tag-betula","tag-birch","tag-birches","tag-celtic","tag-etymology","tag-gaelic","tag-language","tag-music","tag-omniglot","tag-podcast","tag-tree","tag-words"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.omniglot.com\/radio\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4085","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.omniglot.com\/radio\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.omniglot.com\/radio\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.omniglot.com\/radio\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.omniglot.com\/radio\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=4085"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/www.omniglot.com\/radio\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4085\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":4089,"href":"https:\/\/www.omniglot.com\/radio\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4085\/revisions\/4089"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.omniglot.com\/radio\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=4085"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.omniglot.com\/radio\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=4085"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.omniglot.com\/radio\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=4085"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}