A post about words for flatulence and related things in Celtic languages, and related words in other languages.
Words marked with a * are reconstructions.
| Proto-Celtic | *bragyeti = to fart, flatulate *braxsman = fart *brag-(y)o- = to fart |
|---|---|
| Gaulish | *bragiū = to fart (?) |
| Old Irish (Goídelc) | braigid [ˈdʲesʲkʲibul] = to fart broimm = fart |
| Middle Irish (Gaoidhealg) | braigid = to fart broimm, broim = fart(ing) |
| Irish (Gaeilge) | broim [bˠɾˠiːmʲ] = fart, to fart broimneach = (act of) farting broimnéis = (of speech) windiness, fury broimnéiseach = loud-voiced, furious, bellicose broimseán = windiness, rudeness broimseánaí = windbag, rude person broimseánta = rude bromaire = farter, windbag, boaster bromaireacht = windiness, (act of) boasting |
| Scottish Gaelic (Gàidhlig) | bram [brãũm] = fart, breaking wind (with noise) braim [brɤim] = fart, breaking wind (with noise) bramag [bramag] = small fart |
| Manx (Gaelg) | breim = fart, raspberry breimeragh = to fart, farting breimmey = to fart |
| Proto-Brythonic | *bramm = fart (?) |
| Middle Welsh (Kymraec) | bram, bràm = fart, gentle puff bramu, bremain, brammu = to fart, break wind |
| Welsh (Cymraeg) | bram [bram] = fart, gentle puff bramu, bramio = to fart, break wind |
| Middle Cornish (Cernewec) | bram = fart bramme = to fart |
| Cornish (Kernewek) | bramm, brabm = fart bramm an gath!, brabm an gath! = cat’s fart! fiddlesticks! bramma, brabma = to fart |
| Middle Breton (Brezonec) | bram = fart brammet = to fart |
| Breton (Brezhoneg) | bramm [brãmː] = fart brammadenn = fireball brammañ, brammat = to fart brammellat = to backfire brammer = farter |
Etymology: from Proto-Indo-European *bʰr̥Hg-yé-ti, from *bʰreHg- (to stink, smell, have a strong odour) [source]. Words from the same Proto-Celtic root, via Gaulish *bragiū (fart) and Latin bragiō (to bray, cry, weep), include (to) bray in English, braire (to bray, shout, cry, weep) and brailler (to shout, yell, speak very loudly) in French, sbraitare (to shout, scream, yell, rant) in Italian, and breté in Gallo [source].
Words from the same PIE roots possibly include braña (mire, bog, fen, march, moorland) in Galician, flair, fragrant in English, flairer (to smell, sniff, scent, sense) in French, fragare (to smell) in Italian, cheirar (to smell) in Portuguese, and words for rotten, putrid, foetid, etc in Celtic languages, such as braen (rotten, putrid, corr) in Welsh – see the post Rotten Fragrance for more details [source].
| Old Irish (Goídelc) | tútt = smell |
|---|---|
| Middle Irish (Gaoidhealg) | tút(t), túth = smell, stench |
| Irish (Gaeilge) | tuth = odour, stench, funk tuthóg [ˈt̪ˠʊhoːɡ] = puff, fart tuthógach = puffing, farting, malodorous |
| Scottish Gaelic (Gàidhlig) | tùd [tuːd] = stink, stench, (silent) fart) tùdach [tuːdəx] = stinking, farty, abounding in (silent) farts |
Etymology: unknown
| Proto-Celtic | *ɸrikkā, *frikkā = fart |
|---|---|
| Proto-Brythonic | *rrex = fart |
| Middle Welsh (Kymraec) | rech, rhêch = fart rhechain = to fart rechyaỽc = farting |
| Welsh (Cymraeg) | rhech [r̥eːχ] = fart rhechu = to fart rhechiog = farting rhechwr = farter dim gwerth rhech dafad = worthless (“not worth a sheep’s fart”) |
Etymology: from Proto-Indo-European *perd- (to fart loudly, to pass gas, break wind) [source]. Words from the same roots include fart, partridge in English, pjerdh (to fart) in Albanian, пърдя (pǎrdjá – to fart) in Bulgarian, Furz (fart) in German and fjärta (to fart) in Swedish [source].
Sources: Wiktionary, Etymological Dictionary Of Proto Celtic, In Dúil Bélrai English – Old Irish glossary, eDIL – Electronic Dictionary of the Irish Language, Teanglann.ie, Am Faclair Beag, An etymological dictionary of the Gaelic language, Fockleyreen: Manx – English Dictionary, Online Manx Dictionary, Gaelg Corpus, Geiriadur Prifysgol Cymru, Lexicon cornu-britannicum : a dictionary of the ancient Celtic language of Cornwall, Gerlyver Kernewek, Devri : Le dictionaire diachronique du breton, Geriafurch, TermOfis