Celtic cognates

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


Landscape

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
cloch clach clagh clog clog kleger stone
cliff
cnoc cnoc cronk cnwc krug krec’h hill
mount
mound
breast
cruach cruach creagh crug krug cruc hillock
heap
mound
pile
gleann gleann glion(e) glyn glynn
glydn
glen glen
hollow
valley
inis innis innis ynys enys enez island
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
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
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
uaimh uaimh oghe
ooig
(g)ogof gogow gougoñ cave

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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
brí bre† bre bre bre hill
mount
hillock
height
caí† cae ke kae field
hedge
cladh
clais
cladh
clais
clash cladd
clais
clawdd
kleudh kleuz ditch
groove
trench
céide cèide pant pans pant hill(ock)
hollow
slope
cluain cluain clun meadow
pasture
moor
caolas caolas keyllys strait
narrows
com cwm komm komm (deep) valley
coombe
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
eas eas eas waterfall
eitre eitre eerey rhych reg furrow
trench
farraige fairge faarkey sea
ocean
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
machaire machair magher magwyr moger plain
field
wall
maighean maen men maen stone
place
nant nans (n)ant stream
oileán eilean ellan island
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
sgìre skeerey
skylley
parish
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

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Celtic cognates

Complete Cognates, Partial Cognates . Cognates arranged thematically: Adjectives | Animals | Birds | Clothes | Colours | Conjunctions | Countries | Directions | Food and Drink | Landscape | Buildings | Languages | Metals | Musical terms | Numbers | Parts of the body | People | Pronouns | Prepositions | Sea creatures | Time expressions | Trees and Plants | Verbs | Weather | Tools | Other words | Names

Celtiadur

Celtiadur

The Celtiadur blog is a collection of Celtic cognates, with definitions, pronunciation, etymologies - includes the modern Celtic languages, older versions of these languages, such as Middle Welsh, Middle Breton and Old Irish, and their extinct and reconstructed relatives and ancestors, including Gaulish, Proto-Brythonic and Proto-Celtic.

Celtic Pathways

Celtic Pathways

On the Celtic Pathways podcast I discuss connections between the Celtic languages, and look for words with Celtic roots in non-Celtic languages, such as English, French, Spanish, Galician and Portuguese.

If you would like to make any corrections or additions to this page, or if you can provide recordings, please contact me.

Links

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

Information about Celtic languages

Breton, Celtiberian, Cornish, Cumbric, Gaulish, Irish, Lepontic, Lusitanian, Manx, Scottish Gaelic, Welsh

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