This page contains words for colours that are cognate in all or some of the six modern Celtic languages.
Click on the English versions that are links and you will be taken to the Celtiadur, where you can see what each word means, and how some of them are pronounced. There are also details of related words and expressions, and words in older versions of the Celtic languages, such as Middle Welsh and Old Irish. More Celtic Cognates
These words are cognate in all six Celtic languages.
| Gaeilge (Irish) |
Gàidhlig (Gaelic) |
Gaelg (Manx) |
Cymraeg (Welsh) |
Kernewek (Cornish) |
Brezhoneg (Breton) |
English |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| airgead | airgead | argid | arian | arghans | arc'hant | silver |
| dubh | dubh | doo | du | du | du | black |
| fionn | fionn | fynn | gwyn | gwynn | gwenn | white blond |
| geal | geal | gial | gell | gell | gell | white |
| glas | glas | glass | glas | glas | glas | blue green grey |
| gorm | gorm | gorrym | gwrm* | gorm (brown) |
uurm* (dark) |
blue black |
| lí | lì | lhee | lliw | lyw | liv | colour hue pigment |
| liath | liath | lheeah | llwyd | loos | loued | grey |
| ór | òr | airh | aur | owr | aour | gold |
| rua | ruadh | ruy | rhudd | rudh | ruz | red |
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These words are cognate in some of the Celtic languages.
| Gaeilge (Irish) |
Gàidhlig (Gaelic) |
Gaelg (Manx) |
Cymraeg (Welsh) |
Kernewek (Cornish) |
Brezhoneg (Breton) |
English |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| bán | bàn | bane | bân* | — | — | white fair |
| buí | buidhe | bwee | — | — | — | yellow |
| — | — | — | coch | kogh | — | red |
| corcra | corcar | — | porffor | purpur | pourpré | purple |
| dath | dath | daah | — | — | — | colour dye |
| dearg | dearg | jiarg | — | — | — | red |
| donn | donn | dhone | dwn | — | — | brown dun |
| flann | flann | — | — | — | — | (blood) red blood |
| — | — | — | gwyrdd | gwyrdh gwer |
gwer | green |
| — | — | — | melyn | melyn | melen | yellow blonde |
| uaine | uaine | eayney geayney |
— | — | — | green |
Complete Cognates, Partial Cognates . Cognates arranged thematically: Adjectives | Animals | Birds | Clothes | Colours | Conjunctions | Countries | Directions | Food and Drink | Landscape | Languages | Metals | Musical terms | Numbers | Parts of the body | People | Pronouns | Prepositions | Sea creatures | Time expressions | Trees and Plants | Verbs | Weather | Tools | Other words
A collection of Celtic cognates, with definitions, pronunciation, etymologies - includes the modern Celtic languages, older versions of these languages, such as Middle Welsh, Old Irish, and their extinct and reconstructed relatives and ancestors, including Gaulish, Celtiberian, Proto-Brythonic and Proto-Celtic.
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If you would like to make any corrections or additions to this page, or if you can provide recordings, please contact me.
Breton, Celtiberian, Cornish, Cumbric, Gaulish, Irish, Lepontic, Lusitanian, Manx, Scottish Gaelic, Welsh
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