Category: Fish

Water Snakes (Eels)

By Simon

Words for eel in the Celtic languages.

In Celtic-speaking areas, the most common species of eels are the European eel or silver eel (Anguilla anguilla) ,and the European conger (eel) (Conger conger). Other eels are available.

Old Irish (Goídelc) escong / escumg / esconga / escuma = eel
Irish (Gaeilge) eascann [ˈasˠkən̪ˠ] = eel, reptile, snake
eascann abhann = freshwater eel
eascann choncair / eascann mhara = conger eel
Scottish Gaelic (Gàidhlig) easgann [esgən̪ˠ] / feasgainn [fesgɪn̪ʲ] = eel
easgann-mhara / easgann-dhubh a’ chladaich = conger eel
Manx (Gaelg) astan = eel
astan marrey = sea eel, conger eel
Welsh (Cymraeg) llysywen / ‘slywen = eel
llysywen ariannaidd = silver eel
llysywen fôr (y môr) / congren = European conger eel
Cornish (Kernewek) sylli = eel
Breton (Brezhoneg) silienn = eel
silienn-dour-dous = European eel
silienn-vor = European conger eel

Etymology: possibly from *esc (water) and the Proto-Indo-European *h₂éngʷʰis (snake).

Eels

Should you find that eels have infested your hovercraft, as they often do, here’s how you can say that in Celtic languages:

  • Irish: Tá m’árthach foluaineach lán d’eascanna
  • Scottish Gaelic: Tha a’ bàta-falbhain agam loma-làn easgannan
  • Manx: Ta my lhong chrowal lane dy astanyn
  • Cornish: Leun a sylli yw ow skath bargesi
  • Welsh: Mae fy hofrenfad yn llawn llyswennod
  • Breton: Leun gant sili eo ma dourruzer

This phrase in many more languages

Here’s a song I wrote some years ago which features hovercrafts and eels and has verses in Welsh and Irish.

Sources: Wiktionary, Am Faclair Beag, MacBain’s Dictionary, In Dúil Bélrai English – Old-Irish Glossary, teanglann.ie, On-Line Manx Dictionary, Geiriadur Prifysgol Cymru, Gerlyver Kernewek, Dictionnaire Favereau, TermOfis

Trout

By Simon

Words for trout and related fish in the Celtic languages.

Trout

Old Irish (Goídelc) brecc = trout
Irish (Gaeilge) breac [bʲɾʲak] = trout; fish
breac buí / breac rua = brown trout
breac-mara = sea trout
Scottish Gaelic (Gàidhlig) breac [brʲɛxɡ] = trout
breac-donn, breac-mara, breac-sàile = brown/sea trout
Manx (Gaelg) brack/breck = trout, brown trout; speckled, spotted
breck awin / breck dhoan = brown trout
breck gial = sea trout
Welsh (Cymraeg) brychyn = a speckled one, freckled person, freckled face; trout
brychiad = spotted or freckled person; sea trout, sewin
brych y dail = sea trout, sewin

Etymology: from the Proto-Celtic *brikkos (speckled, spotted). from the Proto-Indo-European *perḱ- (motley, coloured, spotted).

Some trout-related expressions:

  • Irish: Chomh folláin le breac = as fit as a fiddle (“as healthy as a trout”)
  • Irish: An breac sa bhainne = the fly in the ointment (“the trout in the milk”)
  • Irish: Ní breac é go raibh sé ar an bport = don’t count your chickens before they’re hatched (“It’s not a trout until it’s in the port”)
  • Manx: Ta breck ‘sy laue ny share na braddan ‘sy lhingey = A bird in the hand is worth two in the bush (“The trout in the hand is better than the salmon in the pool”)
  • Manx: Ta breck ‘sy vainney = a fly in the ointment (“a trout is in the milk”)
  • Manx: T’eh cha follan as breck = He’s a fit as a fiddle (“He’s as healthy as a trout”)
Welsh (Cymraeg) brithyll = trout
brithyll môr = sea trout, salmon trout
Old Cornish breithil = trout
Cornish (Kernewek) brythel = trout
Breton (Brezhoneg) brezel = mackerel

Etymology: from the Proto-Celtic *mrixtil(l)o- / *mr-ī- (trout).

Cornish (Kernewek) truth = trout
Breton (Brezhoneg) dluzh = trout
dluzh fario = brown trout
dluzh-mor = sea trout

Etymology: unknown

The species of trout most common found in and around the Celtic speaking lands are the brown trout (Salmo trutta), and the sea trout (Salmo trutta trutta), which is also known as finnock in Scotland, sewin in Wales and white trout or salmon trout in Ireland [source].

Sources: Wiktionary, Am Faclair Beag, MacBain’s Dictionary, In Dúil Bélrai English – Old-Irish Glossary, teanglann.ie, On-Line Manx Dictionary, Geiriadur Prifysgol Cymru, Gerlyver Kernewek, Dictionnaire Favereau, TermOfis

Salmon

By Simon

Words for salmon in the Celtic languages. The species of salmon most common found around Celtic speaking lands is the Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar). Other species of salmon are available.

There are three words for salmon in Proto-Celtic: *esoxs / *esāk, *φenk-īnjo and *φorko. Only the first one has descendents in the modern Celtic languages.

Proto-Celtic *esoxs / *esāk = salmon
Gallaecian *īsis = salmon
Gaulish *esoks = salmon
Old Irish (Goídelc) eo [eːo̯] = salmon
Irish (Gaeilge) eo [oː / ɔː] = salmon; noble being, prince
Scottish Gaelic (Gàidhlig) eò [jɔː] = salmon (archaic)
eog = salmon
Proto-Brythonic *esāx = salmon
Middle Welsh (Kymraec) ehawc = salmon
Welsh (Cymraeg) eog [ˈɛ.ɔɡ / ˈeː.ɔɡ] = salmon, sea-trout, sewin, samlet
Old Cornish ehoc = salmon
Cornish (Kernewek) eghek = salmon
Middle Breton eheuc = salmon
Breton (Brezhoneg) eog = salmon

Etymology: possibly from the Proto-Indo-European *peysḱ- (fish).

Old Irish (Goídelc) bratán = salmon
Irish (Gaeilge) bradán [bˠɾˠəˈd̪ˠaːn̪ˠ / ˈbˠɾˠad̪ˠaːnˠ / ˈbˠɾˠɑd̪ˠɑnˠ] = salmon
Scottish Gaelic (Gàidhlig) braden [bradan] = salmon
Manx (Gaelg) braddan = salmon

Etymology: from the Old Irish brat (captivity, bondage, robbery) and án (diminutive suffix).

Welsh (Cymraeg) samon / samwn = salmon
Cornish (Kernewek) sowman = salmon
Breton (Brezhoneg) somon = salmon

Etymology: from the English salmon, from the Middle English samoun, samon, saumon (salmon), from the Anglo-Norman saumon (salmon), from the Old French saumon, from the Latin salmō (salmon), either from the Proto-Celtic *esoxs / *esāk, or from the Latin saliō (to leap).

Salmon Jumping Falls (NPS/D. Jacob)

Sources: Wiktionary, Am Faclair Beag, MacBain’s Dictionary, In Dúil Bélrai English – Old-Irish Glossary, teanglann.ie, On-Line Manx Dictionary, Geiriadur Prifysgol Cymru, Gerlyver Kernewek, Dictionnaire Favereau, TermOfis

Fish

By Simon

Words for fish in the Celtic languages.

Proto-Celtic *ɸēskos = fish
Old Irish (Goídelc) íasc = fish
Irish (Gaeilge) iasc [iəsˠk] = fish, to fish
iasc (uisce) abhann / locha [iəsˠk] = river / lake fish, freshwater fish
iasc farraige / iasc mara [iəsˠk] = sea-fish, saltwater fish
Scottish Gaelic (Gàidhlig) iasg [iəsg] = fish, Pisces
iasg fìor-uisge = freshwater fish
iasg mara = saltwater fish
Manx (Gaelg) eeast = fish
eeast awin = freshwater fish
eeast marrey = marine fish, sea fish
Proto-Brythonic *uɨsk = fish
Welsh (Cymraeg) Wysg [uːɨ̯sk / ʊi̯sk] = Usk (river)

Etymology: from the Proto-Indo-European *pisḱ-/peysḱ- (fish). The name of the river Exe comes from the same root, as does Exmoor, where the river rises, Exmouth, where it meets the sea, and Exeter, which stands on the river.

Welsh (Cymraeg) pysgod [ˈpəsɡɔd] = fish(es), Pisces
pysgod aweddwr / pysgod dŵr croyw / pysgod dŵr glân [iəsˠk] = freshwater fish
pysgod (y) môr [iəsˠk] = sea fish, saltwater fish
Cornish (Kernewek) pysk [pɪːsk] / pesk = fish
Breton (Brezhoneg) pesked = fish

Etymology: from the Latin piscātus, past participle of piscor (to fish), from piscis (fish), from Proto-Indo-European *pisḱ-/peysḱ- (fish).

Interesting idioms related to fish:

  • Irish: Iasc as uisce i do bhéal! = Restrain your tongue! (“Fish out of water in your mouth”)
  • Irish: Ar iascadh libh? = Did you catch fish / succeed in your quest
  • Irish: Ar iascach ar dhuine = to fish information from sb
  • Welsh: pysgota mewn dŵr llwyd = to fish in troubled waters

Fish

Sources: Wiktionary, Am Faclair Beag, MacBain’s Dictionary, In Dúil Bélrai English – Old-Irish Glossary, teanglann.ie, On-Line Manx Dictionary, Geiriadur Prifysgol Cymru, Gerlyver Kernewek, Dictionnaire Favereau, TermOfis