Celtic Pathways – Protruberances

29th October 202329th October 2023 By Simon

In this episode we’re looking at Celtic words for hill and breast and related things.

A Proto-Celtic word for hill is *brusnyos, which comes from Proto-Celtic *brusū (belly, abdomen, breast), possibly from the Proto-Indo-European *bʰrews- (belly, to swell) [source].

Descendents in the modern Celtic languages include:

broinne = breast, bosom, brink, verge in Irish.
broinne [brɤin̪ʲ] = belly, stomach, womb, bulge in Scottish Gaelic
brein = big, great, grand, heavy, tall in Manx
bron [brɔn] = breast, bosom, thorax, hill-side, slope in Welsh
bronn [brɔn] = breast, hill in Cornish
bronn [brɔ̃n] = breast in Breton

Words from the same Proto-Celtic root, via the Proto-West-Germanic *brunnjā (chainmail shirt), include: brynja (coat of mail) in Icelandic, Swedish and Faroese, brynje (mail, armour) in Danish, brynje (coat of armour, protective clothing for motorcyclists) in Norwegian, and броня [brɔˈnʲa] (armour, armoured vehicle, shell) in Ukrainian [source].

The English words breast, brisket and bruise come from the same PIE root, as do borst (chest, thorax, breast) in Dutch, and bröst (breast, chest, thorax) in Swedish [source].

You can find more details of words for Hills and related things on the Celtiadur blog. I also write about words, etymology and other language-related topics on the Omniglot Blog.

Radio Omniglot podcasts are brought to you in association with Blubrry Podcast Hosting, a great place to host your podcasts. Get your first month free with the promo code omniglot.

Omniglot News (22/10/23)

22nd October 2023 By Simon

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Here’s the latest news from the world of Omniglot.

There are new language pages about:

Lavukaleve, a Central Solomons language spoken in the Russell Islands in the Central Province of the Solomon Islands.
Cocama (Kokáma), a Tupi-Guarani language spoken mainly in northwestern Peru, and also in Brazil and Colombia.
Nùng, an Central Tai language spoken mainly in northeastern Vietnam, and also in southern China.
Cua – an East Bahnaric language spoken in the South Central Coast region of Vietnam.
Ta’Oi (ຕາໂອ້ຍອ໌‎) – a Katuic language spoken in southern Laos and central Vietnam.

Also this week, the number of language profiles on Omniglot reached 1,900! Which seems like a bit of an achievement. It’s now at 1,903.

New numbers pages:

Cocama (Kokáma), a Tupi-Guarani language spoken mainly in northwestern Peru, and also in Brazil and Colombia.
Paicî, a New Caledonian language spoken on the east coast of New Caledonia.
Cèmuhî, a Northern New Caledonian language spoken in the North Province of New Caledonia.

Meanwhile on the Omniglot blog we ask ‘How much is a smidgen? How about a tad, dash, drop or pinch?’ in a post entitled Just a Smidgen, and there’s the usual Language Quiz. See if you can guess what language this is:

Here’s a clue: this language is spoken in southwestern China and eastern Myanmar (Burma).

The mystery language in last week’s language quiz was Lule Sámi (julevsámegiella), a Western Sámi language spoken in Norway and Sweden .

There’s a new Celtiadur post about words for Size & Quantity and related things, and I improved the post about words for Good, Left & North

In this week’s Adventure in Etymology, we untangle the ruddy roots of the word Robust.

I also made improvements to the Georgian numbers page.

For more Omniglot News see:
https://www.omniglot.com/news/
https://twitter.com/Omniglossia
https://www.facebook.com/groups/omniglot/
https://www.facebook.com/Omniglot-100430558332117

You can also listen to this podcast on: Apple Podcasts, Amazon Music, Stitcher, TuneIn, Podchaser, PlayerFM or podtail.

If you would like to support this podcast, you can make a donation via PayPal or Patreon, or contribute to Omniglot in other ways.

Radio Omniglot podcasts are brought to you in association with Blubrry Podcast Hosting, a great place to host your podcasts. Get your first month free with the promo code omniglot.

Adventures in Etymology – Robust

20th October 2023 By Simon

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In this adventure we’re untangling the ruddy roots of the word robust.

Robust means:

Strong and healthy (of people or animals)
Strong and unlikely to break or fail (of objects or systems)

It comes from Latin rōbustus (oak, oaken, hard, firm, solid), from rōbur (an oak tree, hardness, strength, stronghold), from rōbus (red [esp. oxen]), from Proto-Italic *rouβos (red, ruddy, redheaded), from PIE *h₁rewdʰ- (red) [source].

Words from the same roots include red, rowan, ruby, ruddy and rust in English, rouge (red) in French, and rubor (blusing, blush, embarrassment, shame) and roble (oak, strong object/person, strength) in Spanish [source].

Rufous Owl (Ninox rufa)

The name Rufus also comes from the same roots, as does the English word rufous, which refers to a reddish brown colour, like rust. It’s mainly found in the name of birds, such as the rufous owl (Ninox rufa, a.k.a. rufous boobook), and the rufous-capped antshrike (Thamnophilus ruficapillus) [source].

Rufous-capped antshrike (Thamnophilus ruficapillus)

You can also listen to this podcast on: Apple Podcasts, Amazon Music, Stitcher, TuneIn, Podchaser, PlayerFM or podtail.

If you would like to support this podcast, you can make a donation via PayPal or Patreon, or contribute to Omniglot in other ways.

Radio Omniglot podcasts are brought to you in association with Blubrry Podcast Hosting, a great place to host your podcasts. Get your first month free with the promo code omniglot.

I also write about words, etymology and other language-related topics on the Omniglot Blog, and I explore etymological connections between Celtic languages on the Celtiadur.

Omniglot News (15/10/23)

15th October 2023 By Simon

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Here’s the latest news from the world of Omniglot.

New constructed script: Soneka, which was devised by Paul Mbongo as an alternative way to write Lingala.

Sample text in the Soneka alphabet in Lingala

New constructed script: Oktyr, which was created by Gruzijslav Zistoksovshvili (გრუზისლავი ზისტოქსოვშვილი) to write a constructed language by the same name.

Sample text in the Oktyr alphabet

New adapated script: Tengwar for Greek, a way to write Greek with Tolkien’s Tengwar script created by Stavros and Nikos Neofotistos.

Sample text Tengwar for Greek

There are new language pages about:

Urak Lawoi’ (อูรักลาโวยจ), a Malayic language spoken in Phuket, Krabi and Satun provinces in southern Thailand.
Bengkulu (Baso Bengkulu), a Malayic language spoken in the southwest of Sumatra in Indonesia.
Tobelo, an West Papuan language spoken in North Maluku Province in eastern Indonesia.
Galela (Hadiyyisa) – a West Papuan language spoken in North Maluku Province of Indonesia.

New numbers pages:

Urak Lawoi’ (อูรักลาโวยจ), a Malayic language spoken in Phuket, Krabi and Satun provinces in southern Thailand.
Heiltsuk (Haiɫzaqvla), a northern Wakashan language spoken in British Colimbia in Canada.
Haisla (X̄a’’islak̓ala), a northern Wakashan language spoken in British Colimbia in Canada.

There’s a new Omniglot blog post about the expression Jot & Tittle, which refers to the the smallest details, and there’s the usual Language Quiz. See if you can guess what language this is:

Here’s a clue: this language is spoken in Norway and Sweden.

The mystery language in last week’s language quiz was Carolinian (Refalúwasch), a Micronesian language spoken in the Northern Mariana Islands.

There’s a new Celtiadur post entitled Haughty Pride and I improved the post about words for Right & South.

In this week’s Celtic Pathways podcast, we find connections between words for Big in Celtic languages and words related to chestnuts in other languages.

For more Omniglot News see:
https://www.omniglot.com/news/
https://twitter.com/Omniglossia
https://www.facebook.com/groups/omniglot/
https://www.facebook.com/Omniglot-100430558332117

You can also listen to this podcast on: Apple Podcasts, Amazon Music, Stitcher, TuneIn, Podchaser, PlayerFM or podtail.

If you would like to support this podcast, you can make a donation via PayPal or Patreon, or contribute to Omniglot in other ways.

Radio Omniglot podcasts are brought to you in association with Blubrry Podcast Hosting, a great place to host your podcasts. Get your first month free with the promo code omniglot.

Celtic Pathways – Great Big

14th October 2023 By Simon

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In this episode we’re looking at Celtic words for great and big and related things.

A Proto-Celtic word for big and great is *māros, which comes from Proto-Indo-European *moh₁ros (great), or mērós (great, considerable, sizeable, impressive), both of which come from *meh₁- (to measure) [source].

Descendents in the modern Celtic languages include:

mór [mˠoːɾˠ] = big, great, large in Irish.
mòr [moːr] = big, great, large, grand in Scottish Gaelic
mooar [muːr] = big, great, grand, heavy, tall in Manx
mawr [mau̯r] = large, big; fully grown in Welsh
meur [mø:r] = great, grand, large, substantial in Cornish
meur [møʁ] = big, many in Breton

Words from the same Proto-Celtic root, via Byzantine Greek μάραον (máraon – sweet chestnut), possibly include marrone (brown, chestnut) in Italian, marron (chestnut, brown) in French, and Morone (sweet chestnut) in German [source].

How did a word meaning big in Proto-Celtic come to refer to chestnuts in other languages? Possibly because the edible seeds (chestnuts) of the sweet chestnut tree (Castanea sativa) are relatively large.

Words from the same PIE roots include immense, meal, measure, meter / metre, metronome and probably moon and month in English, vermaren (to make famous) and maal (meal, time, turn) in Dutch, and mærð (flattery, praise) in Icelandic [source].

You can find more details of words for Big, Large & Great and related things on the Celtiadur blog. I also write about words, etymology and other language-related topics on the Omniglot Blog.

By the way, you can find a longer version of the new theme tune, Dancing on Custard, on: SoundCloud.

Simon Ager · Dancing on Custard / Dawnsio ar Gwstard

Radio Omniglot podcasts are brought to you in association with Blubrry Podcast Hosting, a great place to host your podcasts. Get your first month free with the promo code omniglot.

Adventures in Etymology – Extravagant

8th October 20238th October 2023 By Simon

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In this adventure we’re wondering about the wandering origins of the word extravagant.

Extravagant means:

spending much more than is necessary or wise; wasteful
excessively high
exceeding the bounds of reason, as actions, demands, opinions, or passions
going beyond what is deserved or justifiable

It used to mean wandering beyond bounds [source], and comes from Middle English extravagaunt (rambling, irrelevant, extraordinary, unsual), from Middle French extravagant (extravagant), from Medieval Latin extravagans, from extravagor (to wander beyond), from extra- (beyond) and vagor (to wander, stray) [source].

Words from the same roots include vagabond, vagrant and probably vague in English, vague (vague, vagueness) in French, vaag (vague, hazy, odd, weird) in Dutch, and vago (wanderer, vagabond, slacker) in Spanish [source].

Other English words from the same roots include divagate (to wander about, stray from a suject or theme) [source], and evagate (to wander), which come from Latin roots meaning “to wander away from” and “to wander out of” [source].

Radio Omniglot would like to apologise for the late arrival of this podcast. This was due to malfunctioning plugins at WordPress.

You can also listen to this podcast on: Apple Podcasts, Amazon Music, Stitcher, TuneIn, Podchaser, PlayerFM or podtail.

If you would like to support this podcast, you can make a donation via PayPal or Patreon, or contribute to Omniglot in other ways.

Radio Omniglot podcasts are brought to you in association with Blubrry Podcast Hosting, a great place to host your podcasts. Get your first month free with the promo code omniglot.

I also write about words, etymology and other language-related topics on the Omniglot Blog, and I explore etymological connections between Celtic languages on the Celtiadur.

Omniglot News (01/10/23)

1st October 20237th October 2023 By Simon

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Here’s the latest news from the world of Omniglot.

There are new language pages about:

Nume, a Northern Vanuatu language spoken in Gaua, one of the Banks Islands in Torba Province in the north of Vanuatu.
Makaa (mǝ́kaá), a Bantu language spoken in the Meka area in the southeast of Cameroon.
Sidama (Sidaamu Afoo), a Cushitic language spoken in the Sidama Region in southern Ethiopia.

New numbers pages:

Mwotlap (M̄otlap), a Southern Oceanic language spoken mainly on Motolava island in Vanuatu.
Nume, a Northern Vanuatu language spoken in Gaua, one of the Banks Islands in Torba Province in the north of Vanuatu.
Eastern Tawbuid, a South Mangyan language spoken
on the island of Mindoro in the Philippines.

New Tower of Babel translations: Basa, Northern Tepehuán, Sidama

There’s a new Omniglot blog post called Early Peaches, which unpeels the origins of the word apricot and related fruits, and there’s the usual Language Quiz. See if you can guess what language this is:

Here’s a clue: this language is spoken southern Sudan.

The mystery language in last week’s language quiz was Itelmen (итэнмэн), a Chukotko-Kamchatkan language spoken on the Kamchatka Peninsula in Siberia in the Russian Far East region.

There’s a new Celtiadur post called Impeccable Peccadillos, which is about words for sin, crime and related things.

Improved Celtiadur posts: Fists, Palms, Hands & Arms, Heat and Narrow

In this week’s Celtic Pathways podcast, we get to grips with words for Hand and related things in Celtic languages.

I also made separate pages for the Northern Tepehuán, Southeastern Tepehuán and Southwestern Tepehuán languages.

And finally, here’s a new song I wrote this week Ruith Air Falbh / Run Away!

Simon Ager · Ruith Air Falbh / Run Away!

For more Omniglot News see:
https://www.omniglot.com/news/
https://twitter.com/Omniglossia
https://www.facebook.com/groups/omniglot/
https://www.facebook.com/Omniglot-100430558332117

You can also listen to this podcast on: Apple Podcasts, Amazon Music, Stitcher, TuneIn, Podchaser, PlayerFM or podtail.

If you would like to support this podcast, you can make a donation via PayPal or Patreon, or contribute to Omniglot in other ways.

Radio Omniglot podcasts are brought to you in association with Blubrry Podcast Hosting, a great place to host your podcasts. Get your first month free with the promo code omniglot.

Celtic Pathways – Hands

30th September 202330th September 2023 By Simon

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In this episode we’re getting to grips with Celtic words for hand and related things.

A Proto-Celtic word for hand (and palm) is *ɸlāmā, which comes from Proto-Indo-European *pl̥h₂meh₂ (palm, hand), from *pleh₂- (flat) [source].

Descendents in the modern Celtic languages include:

lámh [l̪ˠɑːvˠ/l̪ˠæːw] = hand, arm, handle or signature in Irish.
làmh [l̪ˠaːv] = hand, arm or handle in Scottish Gaelic
laue [læu] = hand, handful, foreleg or arm in Manx
llaw [ɬaːu̯] = hand; authority, possession, etc in Welsh
leuv [lœ:v / le:v] = hand in Cornish
lav [lav] = feathered hand in Breton

The usual word for hand in Breton is dorn, which is related to words for fist in the other Celtic languages. Another Breton word for hand is brec’h, which is related to words for arm in the other languages [source].

The Faroese word lámur ((seal’s) flipper, (cat’s) paw, left hand, (big) hand, left-handed person) comes from the same Proto-Celtic root, via the Old Norse lámr (hand, arm) [source].

Words from the same PIE roots include floor, palm, piano, plain and plan in English, piazza (square, plaza, market) in Italian, llano (flat, level, plain) in Spanish, παλάμη (palámi – palm, hand) in Greek, and words for floor and ground in Celtic languages [source]

You can find more details of words for fists, palms, hands and arms and related things on the Celtiadur blog. I also write about words, etymology and other language-related topics on the Omniglot Blog.

Radio Omniglot podcasts are brought to you in association with Blubrry Podcast Hosting, a great place to host your podcasts. Get your first month free with the promo code omniglot.

Omniglot News (24/09/23)

24th September 20232nd October 2023 By Simon

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Here’s the latest news from the world of Omniglot.

There are new language pages about:

Inuktun (Avanersuarmiutut), an Inuit language spoken in northern Greenland.
Bangi (Bobangi), a Bantu language spoken in the centre of the Republic of Congo and in west of the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
Nzadi (Indzéé), a Bantu language spoken in the southwest of the Democratic Republic of the Congo
Tembo (Kitembo / Chitembo), a Bantu language spoken in the east of the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

New numbers pages:

Inuktun (Avanersuarmiutut), an Inuit language spoken in northern Greenland.
Aramaic (ארמית), a Semitic language that was the lingua franca of much of the Near East from about 7th century BC until the 7th century AD .
Makah (qʷi·qʷi·diččaq), a southern Wakashan language that was spoken on the Olympic Peninsula in Washington state in the USA and is being revived.
Kwak̓wala, a northern Wakashan language spoken on Vancouver Island in Canada.
Nuu-Chah-Nulth (Nuučaan̓uł), a southern Wakashan language spoken in British Columbia in Canada

New Tower of Babel translation: Bangi (Bobangi)

There’s a new Omniglot blog post called Hanging Nails in which we look into the origins of the wordhangnail and related words, and there’s the usual Language Quiz. See if you can guess what language this is:

Here’s a clue: this language is spoken in Siberia.

The mystery language in last week’s language quiz was Liq’wala (Liq̓ʷala), a Northern Wakashan language spoken in British Columbia in Canada.

There’s a new Celtiadur post about words for With and Without and related things.

In this week’s Adventure in Etymology, we unwind the origins of the word Weird.

For more Omniglot News see:
https://www.omniglot.com/news/
https://twitter.com/Omniglossia
https://www.facebook.com/groups/omniglot/
https://www.facebook.com/Omniglot-100430558332117

You can also listen to this podcast on: Apple Podcasts, Amazon Music, Stitcher, TuneIn, Podchaser, PlayerFM or podtail.

If you would like to support this podcast, you can make a donation via PayPal or Patreon, or contribute to Omniglot in other ways.

Radio Omniglot podcasts are brought to you in association with Blubrry Podcast Hosting, a great place to host your podcasts. Get your first month free with the promo code omniglot.

Adventures in Etymology – Weird

23rd September 2023 By Simon

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In this adventure we’re unwinding the origins of the word weird.

As an adjective weird means:

Having an unusually strange character or behaviour.
Deviating from the normal; bizarre.
Of or pertaining to the Fates (archaic)
Connected with fate or destiny; able to influence fate (archaic)
Having supernatural or preternatural power (archaic)

As a noun weird means:

Weirdness
A prediction
That which comes to pass; a fact
Fate; destiny; luck (archaic)

As a verb weird means:

To destine; doom; change by witchcraft or sorcery.
To warn solemnly; adjure.

It comes from Middle English werd (fate, destiny), from Old English wyrd (fate), from Proto-West-Germanic *wurdi (fate, destiny), from Proto-Germanic *wurdiz (fate, destiny), from PIE *wert- (to turn) [source].

By the 16th century weird was obsolete in English, though it contained to be used in Scots. It was reintroduced to English by Shakespeare, who called the three witches in Macbeth the Weird Sisters.

In Scots weird means fate, fortune or destiny, and various other things, and tae dree your weird means to follow your destiny, to make what you can of your lot, or to suffer the consequences of your action [source].

Words from the same roots as weird include retain, verse, vortex and worth in English, Wert (value, worth) in German, gwerth (value, worth) in Welsh, worden (to become, get, grow, turn) in Dutch, and verða (to become, have to, must) in Icelandic [source].

I also write about words, etymology and other language-related topics on the Omniglot Blog, and I explore etymological connections between Celtic languages on the Celtiadur.

You can also listen to this podcast on: Apple Podcasts, Amazon Music, Stitcher, TuneIn, Podchaser, PlayerFM or podtail.

If you would like to support this podcast, you can make a donation via PayPal or Patreon, or contribute to Omniglot in other ways.

Radio Omniglot podcasts are brought to you in association with Blubrry Podcast Hosting, a great place to host your podcasts. Get your first month free with the promo code omniglot.

Radio Omniglot

Podcasts about languages and words

Category: English

Celtic Pathways – Protruberances

Omniglot News (22/10/23)

Adventures in Etymology – Robust

Omniglot News (15/10/23)

Celtic Pathways – Great Big

Adventures in Etymology – Extravagant

Omniglot News (01/10/23)

Celtic Pathways – Hands

Omniglot News (24/09/23)

Adventures in Etymology – Weird