!Proto-Celtic reconstruction!Ancient!Goidelic!Brittonic!Etymology!Notes
| Gaul. Belenus | | W Belyn | Traditionally derived from PIE *bʰelH- ('white, shining'), although this has come under criticism in recent scholarship. | The river name Bienne and the place name Bienne attest of a feminine form *Belenā. See Belenos for further discussion. |
| | OIr. Bodb | | From Celtic–Germanic *bhodhwo- ('battle, fight'). | Name of a war divinity. Also attested as a personal name in Gaulish Boduos. A term common to Celtic and Germanic, where a war-goddess is known as Badu-henna. The meaning 'crow', a bird symbolizing the carnage in battle, emerged later in Celtic languages. Middle Irish bodb must be understood as the 'bird on the battlefield and manifestation of the war-goddess'. See Bodb Derg and Badb for further discussion. |
| Gaul. *Brigantia | OIr. Brigit | OBritt. Brigantia | From PIE *bherǵh- ('be high, hill'). | The stem Brigant- is attested in numerous river names (which are typically deified in ancient Celtic cultures), such as , Briance, Bregenzer, or Brent, and in toponyms such as Bragança (< *Brigantia). See Brigid and Brigantia (goddess) for further discussion. |
| Gaul. Litaui | OIr. Letha | OW Litau, OBret. Letau | From PIE *plth2wih2 ('the Broad One, i.e. Earth'). | See Litavis and Dʰéǵʰōm (The Broad One) for further discussion. |
| Gaul. Cobanno | OIr. Goibniu | MW Govannon | From PCelt. *goban- ('smith'). | The Gaulish, Irish and Welsh forms diverge and are reconstructed as *Gobannos, as Gobeniū ~ *Gobanniō, and as Gobannonos, respectively. See Gobannus, Goibniu and Gofannon for further discussion. |
| Gaul. Lugus, CIb. Luguei | OIr. Lug | MW Llew | Unclear etymology. | At the origin of the PCelt. compound *Lugu-deks ('serving Lugus'; cf. Gaul. Lugudeca, OIr. Lugaid). See Lugus for further discussion. |
| Gaul. Mapono | OIr. Macán < *Maccan Oc[1] [2] | MW Mabon | An n-stem of PCelt. *makwo- ('son'). | See Maponos for further discussion. |
| Gaul. Matrona | | MW Modron | An n-stem of PCelt. *mātīr, gen. *mātros ('mother'). | See Matronae for further discussion. |
| Nodonti, Nodenti[3] | MIr. Nuadu | MW Nudd | Unclear etymology. | Nodenti is the dative singular of *Nodens. See Nodens for further discussion. |
| Gaul. Ogmios | MIr. Ogma | | A yo-derivate of PCelt. *ogmos (perhaps 'path, orbit'). | A mythological name |
| | MIr. Ollathair | | Identical to PGmc *Ala-fader (cf. Old Norse Alföðr). | An epithet meaning 'all-father', used as a byname of the Dagda. It can be compared with the Old Norse Alföðr, commonly used for Odin. |
| Gaul. Tanarus, Taranis | | OBritt. Tanaro, Pict. Taran[4] | Identical to the Proto-Germanic Thunder-god *Þun(a)raz (Thor). From PIE *(s)tenh₂- ('thunder'). | See Taranis for further discussion. |
| Gaul. Vindo(nnus)[6] [7] | OIr. Find (mac Cumhaill) | W Gwyn (ap Nudd) | 'The White One'. From PCelt. *windo- ('white'). | The male names are considered to be cognates.[8] [9] [10] See Gwyn ap Nudd and Fionn mac Cumhaill for further discussion. Vindonnus appears as an epithet attached to Greek god Apollo in continental Celtic inscriptions.[11] [12] |
| | OIr. Findabair | MW Gwenhwyfar | A compound of windo- ('white') attached to a feminine form of *sēbro- ('demon, spectre'). | A mythological name. See Guinevere for further discussion. |
Note: Gaul. = Gaulish; Gall. = Gallaecian; Lep. = Lepontic; CIb. = Celtiberian; OIr. = Old Irish; MIr. = Middle Irish; OBritt. = Old Brittonic; OW = Old Welsh; MW = Middle Welsh; Pict. = Pictish; OBret. = Old Breton; MBret. = Middle Breton; OCo. = Old Cornish | |
!Proto-Celtic reconstruction!Meaning!Ancient!Goidelic!Brittonic!Etymology!Notes
| 'offering, victim' | | OIr. edbart | OW aperth | From PCelt. *ad- ('to') attached to *ber-tā < *ber-o- ('carry, bring, bear'). | The OIr. word is the verbal noun of ad-opair < *ad-uss-ber-o ('sacrifices, offers'). |
| 'summoner' (or 'accuser') | Gaul. adgarion | OIr. accrae | | From PCelt. *ad- ('to') attached to *gar-yo- ('call, cry'). | See also OIr. ad-gair ('summon, subpoena') < *ad-gar(i)et. The OIr. accrae ('complaint') <*ad-garion is also only used in legal contexts, although the original PCelt. meaning may have been 'to summon the deities [as witnesses]' (cf. OIr. deogaire 'seer' < *dewo-garios 'who summons the deity'). |
| 'soul' | | OIr. anim | MBret. eneff; Anaffoun (pl.)[13] | From PIE *h2enh1-mon- ('breath'). | The Insular Celtic forms were influenced by the Lat. cognate anima. See also anaon ('souls of the dead' in Breton mythology);[14] and Gaulish anatia 'souls'.[15] |
| 'poetic inspiration' | | OIr. aui | MW awen | Related to PCelt. *awelā ('breeze, wind'), itself from PIE *h2uh1-el- (id.). | The PCelt. reconstruction is difficult because the OIr. and MW forms do not agree. MoBret. awen ('inspiration') is a loanword from Welsh. |
| 'bard, poet' | Gaul. bardo- | MIr. bard | MW bardd, MBret. barz, OCo. barth | From PIE *gʷrH-dʰh₁-o-s ('praise-maker'). | See Bard for further discussion |
| 'magical formula, incantation' | Gaul. brixta | OIr. bricht | MW -brith, OBret. brith | Perhaps from PIE *bherg̍h- ('enlighten'), or related to PCelt. *berxto- ('bright, beautiful'). | See Brixta for further discussion. |
| 'poem' | | MIr. dúan | | From PIE *dh2p-no- ('offering'). | See Aois-dàna, 'people of the arts; poet'. |
| 'rite, ceremony' | | OIr. deidmea | MW deuawt, OBret. domot | From PIE *dhedh(h1)m- ('custom'). | The reconstruction of the vowell in PCelt. *dedmV- is difficult: OBret. domot points to *dedmāto- while OIr. deidmea points to *dedmi-. |
| 'priest, druid' | Gaul. druides | OIr. druí | | Presumably from PIE *dru- ('oak') attached to *weyd- ('see, know'). | The Brittonic forms MW derwydd and OBret. dorguid come from *do-are-wid- ('who sees beyond'). See Druid for further discussion. |
| 'religion, belief' | | OIr. iress | | Probably from PIE *peri-dh1-teh2. | |
| 'good fortune, grace' | Gaul. ratus | OIr. rath | OW rat, OBret. rad-, Co. ras | Probably related to PCel. far-na- ('bestow'). | |
| 'magical transformation, shape' | Gaul. prittus | OIr. cruth | MW pryd, MBret. pred, OCo. prit | From PIE *kwer- ('make, cause'). | See Britain (place name), Prydain and tribe Cruthin. |
| 'poet' | Gaul. pritios | OIr. Crithe | MW prydydd, OCo. pridit | A yo-derivate of*kwritus. | |
| 'ancient stone, funerary monument' | | OIr. carn | OW carn | Probably borrowed from the same non-Indo-European source as PGmc *har(u)gaz. | Cf. also Carnac < *Karnākon (‘place with pagan stone monuments’). See cairn for further discussion. |
| 'omen' | Gaul. caelo-, CIb. caeilo- | | OW coil(i)ou, OBret. coel, OCo. chuillioc | From PIE *keh2ilo- ('whole, wealthy'). | Source of PCelt. *dus-kaylo- (bad omen'; cf. Gaul. dus-celi-, OIr. do-chél) and *su-kaylo- ('good omen'; cf. Gaul. su-caelo, MW hy-goel). OIr. cél is a loanword from Welsh. |
| 'May' | | OIr. cétamain | MW kintevin | A compound of *kentu ('first') and *samon- ('summer'). | Meaning 'first summer'. |
| 'devotion, religious practice' | | OIr. crábud | MW crefydd | Unclear etymology. | MW crefydd is built on a yo-suffix and OIr. crábud on a itu-suffix. |
| 'believe' | | OIr. creitid | MW credu, MBret. crediff, OCo. cresy | From PIE *ḱred-dheh1- ('believe, trust'). | The geminate must be recent since PIE *dd would have yielded PCelt. *ss. |
| 'faith, believing' | | OIr. cretem | MBret. critim | Verbal noun of *kreddī-. | |
| 'relic, sacred object' | | OIr. cretair | OW creirriou, MBret. kreir, Co. crêr | Related to *kreddī- ('believe'). | |
| 'festival, celebration' | Gaul. litu- | OIr. líth | OBret. lit | Unclear etymology. | The absence of cognates in other Indo-European languages makes the PCelt. reconstruction (*flitu- or *litu-) uncertain. |
| 'funerary poem, eulogy' | | OIr. marbnad | MW marwnad | A compound of PCelt. *marwo- ('dead') and *natu- ('poem'). | The compound, pertaining to poetic language, can probably be projected back to Proto-Celtic. |
| 'lightning, hammer of the thunder-god' | Gaul. Meldio | | MW Mellt | Cognate with PGmc *meldunjaz and PBalt-Slav. mild-n-. | See Perkwunos#Thunder-god's_weapon |
| 'poem, song, incantation' | Gaul. natia, nato- | OIr. nath | MW nad | Probably from PIE *(s)neh1- ('sew'). | The semantic development could be explained in terms of poetic metaphors, whereby a poem is identified with a thread. |
| 'sacred grove, sanctuary' | Gaul. nemēton, CIb. nemeto- | OIr. nemed | OBritt. Nemetona, OW -nivet, OBret. -nimet | A t-stem derived from PIE *némos ('sacrifice'), itself from *nem- ('distribute'), or possibly related to PCelt. *nemos ('heaven'). | Related to or borrowed into PGmc *nemedaz ('holy grove'). Greek (némos) and Latin (nemus) share the meaning 'forest, (holy) clearance', which evolved from the PIE sense 'what is distributed, sacrifice' (cf. Skt námas- 'worship, honour', Alb. nëmë 'curse, imprecation'). See Nemeton, goddesses Nemetona and Arnemetia, tribe Nemetes. |
| 'heaven, sky' | | OIr. nem | OW nem, OBret. nem, OCo. nef | From PIE *nebhos ('cloud, cloudy sky'). | The irregular *-m- of the Celtic forms is best explained as the result of assimilation (n ...bh > n ...m). |
| 'holy' | Gaul. noibo- | OIr. noíb | | From PIE *noybhos. | |
| 'secret, magic' | Gaul. -runus (?), Lep. Runatis (?) | OIr. rún | MW rin, MBret. rin, Co. rin- | Related to PGmc *rūnō ('secret, mystery'). | Gaul. Cobrunus (< *com-rūnos 'confident') is probably cognate with MW cyfrin, MBret. queffrin and MIr. comrún ('shared secret, confidence'); Lep. Runatis may be derived from *runo-ātis ('belonging to the secret'). See Runes#Etymology. |
| 'assembly, (feast of the) first month of the year' | Gaul. Samon- | MIr. Samain | | From PIE *smHon- ('reunion, assembly'). | Name of a month or feast. The original meaning is best explained as 'assembly (of the living and the dead)' (cf. OIr. -samain 'swarm'). Links to PCelt. *samon- ('summer') appear to be folk etymologies. See Samhain for further discussion. |
| 'consecrated, cursed' | Gaul. sacro- | | MW hagr, MBret. hagr, Co. hager | From PIE *sh2k-ro- ('sacred'). | The Brittonic cognates mean 'ugly', i.e. 'cursed' < 'consecrated to infernal, malevolent deities'. The original meaning was probably close to that of Latin sācer, meaning 'consecrated', but also 'worthy to be sacrificed', 'cursed'. Cognate to Latin sacerdos, 'priest'. |
| 'tumulus (inhabited by supernatural beings), peace' | Gaul. sedum, sidum | OIr. síd | MW hedd, OBret. hed | From PIE sēds gen. sedos ('seat'). | See sidhe. |
| 'magic' | | | MW hud, MBret. hud, Co. hus | Probably originally identical to PIE *soito- ('string, rope'), from *seh2i- ('to bind'). Cognate with PGmc *saidaz ('magic, charm') and Lith. saitas ('soothsaying, talisman'). | Source of PCelt. *soyto-lo- ('charming, illusory') |
| 'prophesise' | | OIr. do-aurchain | MW darogan | From PCelt. to-fare- ('towards'), attached to *ufo- ('under') and *kan-o- ('sing'). | |
| 'seer, sooth-sayer' | Gaul. wáteis | OIr. fáith | | From PIE *weh2-ti- ('prophet'). | See vates. |
| 'poetic inspiration' | | OIr. fáth | MW gwawd | From PIE *weh2-tu- ('prophesy'). | |
| 'seer' | Gaul. uelets | OIr. filed | MW gwelet, MBret. guelet | From PIE *wel-o- ('to see'). | OIr. filed is the genitive form of filí ('poet, seer'). The ancient Germanic Weleda, the name of a seeress, is most likely a borrowing from Gaulish *ueletā ('seeress'), with regular Germanic sound shift -t- > -d-. |
| 'seeress, sorceress' | Gaul. uidluas | Fedelm | W gwyddon | From PCelt. *wēdo- ('sight, presence'). | Gaul. uidluas may be a genitive form of *uildua, in which case it may be derived from *widlmā with lenition (like in anuana < *anman- 'name'). |
| 'praise, worship' | | OIr. áil | MW iawl, OBret. iolent | From PIE *(H)yeh2lo- ('zeal'). | |
Note: Gaul. = Gaulish; Gall. = Gallaecian; Lep. = Lepontic; CIb. = Celtiberian; OIr. = Old Irish; MIr. = Middle Irish; OBritt. = Old Brittonic; OW = Old Welsh; MW = Middle Welsh; Pict. = Pictish; OBret. = Old Breton; MBret. = Middle Breton; OCo. = Old Cornish | |