This page contains words for features of the landscape 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
Words for features of the landscape that are cognate in all six Celtic languages.
| Gaeilge (Irish) |
Gàidhlig (Gaelic) |
Gaelg (Manx) |
Cymraeg (Welsh) |
Kernewek (Cornish) |
Brezhoneg (Breton) |
English |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| abar | abar obar |
aber | aber | aber | aber | estuary river mouth |
| abhainn | abhainn | awin | afon | avon | aven | river |
| ailt | alt | alt | allt | als | aod | hillock hill(side) cliff coast |
| ard | àrd | ard | ardd | ardh | arz | height hill |
| bealach | bealach | bollagh | bwlch | bolgh | boulc'h | way pass breach road |
| beann | beann | beinn | ban | ban | bann | horn mountain top peak |
| broinne | broinne | brein | bron bryn |
bronn | bronn | hill breast |
| carraig | carraig | carrick | carreg | karrek | karreg | rock stone |
| caiseal | caisteal | cashtal | castell | kastel | kastell | fort fortress town city castle |
| cill | cill | keeill | cell | kell | kell | cell church |
| cliath | cliath | cleea | clwyd | kloos | kloued | hurdle fence |
| cloch | clach | clagh | clog | clog | kleger | stone cliff |
| cnoc | cnoc | cronk | cnwc | krug | krec’h | hill mount mound breast |
| cró | crò | croa | crau craw |
krow | krao kraou |
stable enclosure |
| cruach | cruach | creagh | crug | krug | cruc | hillock heap mound pile |
| dún | dùn | doon | din dinas |
din dinas |
din | fort fortress town city castle |
| eaglais | eaglais | agglish | eglwys | eglos | iliz | church |
| inis | innis | innis | ynys | enys | enez | island |
| lann* | lann | lann | llan | lann | lann | church parish land enclosure |
| lár | làr | laare | llawr | leur | leur | floor ground |
| leac | leac | leac | llech | legh | lec'h | stone slate |
| linn | linne | lhingey | llyn | lynn lydn |
lenn | lake pool |
| loch | loch | logh | llwch | logh | loc'h | lake pond inlet |
| má | magh | magh | maes | mes | maez | field plain |
| moned* monad* |
monadh | muyne | mynydd | menydh | menez | mountain moorland hillside |
| muir | muir | mooir | môr | mor | mor | sea |
| rinn | rinn | rinn | rhyn | rynn | rinn | point top cape promontory |
| ros | ros | ros | rhos | ros | ros | promontory wood |
| srath | srath | strah | ystrad | stras | strad | (flat) valley strath bottom |
| sruth | sruth | stroo | ffrwd | fros | froud | stream river current valley |
| tír | tìr | çheer | tir | tir | tir | land country |
| trá | tràigh | traie | trai | trig | tre trec'h |
beach ebb shore |
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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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| achadh | achadh | — | — | — | — | field garden enclosure hedge plain |
| áirí | àirigh | eairee | — | — | — | hill pasture sheiling milking place |
| áth | àth | aah | — | — | — | ford |
| baile | baile | balley | beili | — | — | home town bailey |
| balla | balla | boalley | gwal wal |
gwal | — | wall |
| bóthar | bòthar | bayr | beudr | bownder | road alley lane |
|
| brí | bre* | — | bre | bre | bre | hill mount hillock height |
| caí* | — | — | cae | ke | kae | field hedge |
| cathair | cathair | caayr | — | — | — | fortress monastery city |
| — | — | — | caer | ker | kaer | fort castle |
| clais | clais | clash | clais | — | — | ditch groove trench |
| cladh | cladh | — | clawdd | kleudh | kleuz | ditch trench rampart |
| céide | cèide | — | pant | pans | pant | hill(ock) hollow slope |
| cluain | cluain | — | clun | — | — | meadow pasture moor |
| caolas | caolas | keyllys | — | — | — | strait narrows |
| cora | caradh | — | cored | — | kored | weir dam |
| cosán | casan | cassan | — | — | — | path |
| cuan | cuan | keayn | — | — | — | sea ocean harbour bay |
| cuas | cuas | — | cau | kew | kew | hollow cavity cave |
| díog | dìg | jeeg | — | — | — | ditch dike trench |
| — | — | — | — | dowrlam | lamm-dour | waterfall |
| droichead | drochaid | droghad | — | — | — | bridge |
| eas | eas | eas | — | — | — | waterfall |
| farraige | fairge | faarkey | — | — | — | sea ocean |
| forás | foras | — | ffordd | fordh | — | street alley highway growth |
| fobhar | — | — | gofer | gover | gou(v)er | stream |
| fos | fos | — | ffos | fos | foz | wall butress ditch |
| gaoth | geodha | giau | — | — | — | inlet estuary cove |
| gort | gort | — | garth | orth | garth | field garden enclosure hedge plain |
| inbhear | inbhir | inver | — | — | — | river mouth estuary confluence |
| — | — | — | llanerch | lannergh | lanneg | glade clearing pasture |
| lear | lear | — | llŷr | — | — | sea ocean channel |
| leitir | leitir | — | — | — | — | hillside slope |
| lios | lios | — | llys | lis | lez | ringfort court fairy mound |
| machaire | machair | magher | magwyr | — | moger | plain field wall |
| maighean | — | — | maen | men | maen | stone place |
| múr | mùr | — | mur | — | mur | wall |
| — | — | — | nant | nans | (n)ant | stream |
| oileán | eilean | ellan | — | — | — | island |
| — | — | — | pont | pons | pont | bridge |
| ráth | ràth | raah | — | — | — | rampart ring-fort |
| ré | raon | rheam | — | — | run | field garden enclosure hedge plain |
| rian | rian | rane | — | — | — | course path method river |
| — | — | — | rhyd | rys | red | ford |
| riathar | — | — | rhaeadr | — | — | waterfall torrent |
| ród | rathad | raad | rhawd | — | roud | road course route |
| séad | séad | — | hynt | hens hyns |
hent | path way course road |
| ser* | — | — | sêr | ster | ster | river star |
| slí | slighe | sleayd | — | — | — | path track offspring |
| sliabh | sliabh | slieau | — | — | — | mountain moorland hillside |
| sliocht | sliochd | sluight | llwybr | — | — | path track section offspring |
| talamh | talamh | thalloo | — | — | — | ground earth land |
| tom | tom | tom | tom | — | — | hillock knoll mound |
| trácht | — | — | traeth | treth | traezh | beach shore sand |
| treibh | treabh treubh |
— | tre(f) | trev | trev | town house farmstead |
| uaimh | uaimh | oghe ooig |
(g)ogof | gogow | — | cave |
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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.
If you would like to make any corrections or additions to this page, or if you can provide recordings, please contact me.
Information about Celtic place names
https://www.logainm.ie/en/
https://getoutside.ordnancesurvey.co.uk/guides/the-gaelic-origins-of-place-names-in-britain/
http://asmanxasthehills.com/place-names-on-the-isle-of-man/
http://www.isle-of-man.com/manxnotebook/fulltext/pn1925/index.htm
https://getoutside.ordnancesurvey.co.uk/guides/the-welsh-origins-of-place-names-in-britain/
https://www.cornwalls.co.uk/culture/cornish_place_names.htm
https://www.fr.brezhoneg.bzh/7-noms-de-lieux.htm
http://bcd.bzh/becedia/fr/apercu-des-noms-de-lieux-de-bretagne-les-themes-utilises-dans-les-noms-de-lieux
Breton, Celtiberian, Cornish, Cumbric, Gaulish, Irish, Lepontic, Lusitanian, Manx, Scottish Gaelic, Welsh
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