Words for ant and related things in Celtic languages.
Words marked with a * are reconstructions.
| Old Irish (Goídelc) | sengán = ant |
|---|---|
| Middle Irish (Gaoidhealg) | sengán, seangan = ant |
| Irish (Gaeilge) | seangán = ant seangánach = full of ants nead seangán = anthill |
| Scottish Gaelic (Gàidhlig) | seangan [ʃɛŋgan] = ant, mean fellow seangan ‘nad bhriogais = to be fidgety, have the jtters (ants in your breeches) seangananach [ʃɛŋganəx] = pertaining to or abounding in small ants |
| Manx (Gaelg) | sniengan = ant snienganagh = ant-infested, formic crongan sniengan = anthill |
Etymology: possibly from the Old Irish seng (thin, slender. meagre) [source].
| Proto-Celtic | *morwis = ant |
|---|---|
| Old Irish (Goídelc) | moirb [morʲvʲ] = ant |
| Middle Irish (Gaoidhealg) | moirb = ant |
| Middle Welsh (Kymraec) | myr = ant myrion = ants morgrug, morcrug = ants morgrugyn, morcrugyon = ant |
| Welsh (Cymraeg) | mŷr, myrr [mɨːr/miːr] = ant myrion = ants myrdwyn = anthill morgrug [ˈmɔrɡrɨ̞ɡ / ˈmɔrɡrɪɡ] = ants (from mŷr [ant] and crug [hill]) morgrugyn = ant morgrugaidd, morgrugol = ant-like pertaining to ants, formic |
| Old Cornish | menƿionen = ant |
| Middle Cornish (Cernewec) | menwionen, meuwionen = ant, emmet |
| Cornish (Kernewek) | moryonen = ant, tourists moryoner = anteater |
| Old Breton | moriuon = ant |
| Middle Breton (Brezonec) | meryen = ant |
| Breton (Brezhoneg) | merien [ˈmɛr.jɛn] = ants merionenn = ant merionaer = anteater merieneg [mɛ.ˈrjẽː.nɛk] = anthill |
Etymology: from the Proto-Indo-European *morwi- (ant). Words from the same roots include formic (pertaining to ants) and pismire (ant – archaic) in English, fourmi (ant) in French, mier (ant) in Dutch, maur (ant) in Icelandic and myra (ant) in Swedish [source].
Sources: Wiktionary, Am Faclair Beag, Online Manx Dictionary, Teanglann.ie, eDIL – Electronic Dictionary of the Irish Language, In Dúil Bélrai English – Old Irish glossary, Geiriadur Prifysgol Cymru, Gerlyver Kernewek, Dictionaire Favereau, TermOfis, English – ProtoCeltic WordList (PDF), Etymological Dictionary Of Proto Celtic
Hello! You’ve mixed the Welsh up: morgrugyn = ant; morgrug = ants.
Also: mŷr = ant; myrionyn/myrionen = diminutive of mŷr; myrion = plural.
Diolch am y cywiriadau.