List of English words of Gaulish origin

A list of English language words derived from Celtic languages.

A

ambassador

from Old French embassadeur, from Latin ambactus, from Gaulish *ambactos, "servant, henchman, one who goes about".

B

banshee

from Irish bean síth "woman of the fairy mound" from bean "woman", and sidhe, from sith "fairy".

bard

from Scots Gaelic & Welsh bard "a high rank of poet", from Gaulish bardos, "poet, singer".

beak

from Old French bec, from Latin beccus, from Gaulish becco.

ben

from Scots Gaelic beann, "mountain peak", from Old Irish *benno-, "peak".

bilge

from Old French boulge, from Latin bulga, from Gaulish bulgā, "sack".

bludgeon

from Cornish blugon, "mallet".

bog

from Irish bogach, "soft, moist or squishy".

bother

possibly from Irish bodhar, "deaf, to deafen".

brat

from Old English bratt, from Old Irish bratt, "cloth".

brill

from Cornish brilli, "mackerel".

brisk

from

brogue

from Irish bróg, "rough, stout shoe".

budge (lambskin)

from Old French bulge, from Latin bulga, from Gaulish bulgā, "sack".

budget

from Old French bougette, from bouge, from Latin bulga, from Gaulish bulgā, "sack".

bulge

from Old French boulge, from Latin bulga, from Gaulish bulgā, "sack".

C

cairn

from Scots Gaelic càrn, "heap of stones, rocky hill".

clan

from Scots Gaelic clann, "family, stock, offspring", from Old Irish, cland, "offspring, tribe", from Latin planta "offshoot".

claymore

from Scots Gaelic claidheamh mór, "great sword" Gaelic, from claidheb, "sword" and mór, "great".

clobber

from Irish clábar, "mud". 'The word clábar may be connected with the word clobber, 'old clothes'. The first OED quote for clobber meaning 'old clothes', is from 1879. We have seen the possibility for Ir. clábar, 'mud' being used in a new setting, the [Australian] goldfields. Could the word have been transferred to describe the clothes the miners would have worn? It is unlikely that this clothing would have been washed every day, and so would have been constantly covered in clábar. It is a short step then to imagine a generic description of such clothes as clobber, and in turn that the word would be applied to old clothes in general. Admittedly this is not a speculation that the OED or lexicographers in general would favour.'

clutter

from Welsh cludair, "heap, pile".

colleen, coleen

from Irish cailín, "girl".

coney

possibly from Welsh cwningen, "rabbit".

corgi

from Welsh cor, "dwarf" & ci, "dog".

crag

from Scots Gaelic creag, "rocky outcrop", or Welsh, craig, "cliff".

crumpet

from Welsh crempog, "pancake, fritter" or Breton krampoez, "small flat cake".

cwm

from Welsh cwm, "valley".

D

dolmen

from French, from Cornish or from Breton taolvean, tol, "key" & men, "stone".

dornick (stone)

from Irish dornóg, "small round stone, mitten" or Gaelic doirneag, from dorn, "fist".

dour

possibly from Middle Irish dúr, from Latin dūrus, "hard".

down

from Celtic root dún.

drumlin

from Irish druim, "back, ridge".

dune

from Middle Dutch, Middle Low German, or French, all from Gaulish *dunom.

E

eisteddfod

from Welsh.

embassy

from Middle French embassee, from Italian ambasciata, from Old Provençal ambaisada, from Latin Ambactus, from Gaulish *ambactos, "servant, henchman, one who goes about".

F

filibeg

from Gaelic feileadh beag, from feileadh, "fold" and beag, "little".

G

galore

from Irish go leór, "enough".

gob

from Irish gob "mouth".

glean

from Old French glener, from Late Latin glennare, from Gaulish glanos, "clean".

glen

from Scottish, from Gaelic gleann, "mountain dale".

L

lawn

from Old French lande, "heath", from Gaulish or Germanic.

leprechaun

from Irish leipreachán.

loch, lough

from Irish & Scots Gaelic loch, "lake", "fjord" or "strait".

M

menhir

from Welsh maen, "stone" & hir, "long".

moniker

from Shelta munik, possibly from Irish ainm, from Old Irish.

P

penguin

from Welsh pen, "head" & gwyn, "white".

piece

from Old French, from Vulgar Latin *pettia, likely from Gaulish.

plaid

from Scots Gaelic plaide.

S

slew, slue

from Gaelic sluagh, "crowd, host, multitude".

shamrock

from Irish seamróg, diminutive of seamar "clover".

slogan

from Gaelic sluaghghairm, "battle cry", from sluagh, "host, army" and gairm, "cry, call".

smashing

from Irish Is maith sin. 'That word [smashing] 'comes straight from the Irish phrase 'Is maith sin', pronounced 'smoy shin' and meaning 'that is good'.' Antaine O'Donnaille, 'Irish today'

smithereens

"small broken fragments, little pieces", from Gaelic smidiríní (plural of smidirín, diminutive of smiodar, "fragment"). [But cf. English dialect smaddereen, "a small quantity" (a dialectical form of smattering)]. Hogan* notes: 'The origin of this word is doubtful. Ir. smidirín is probably borrowed from the Anglo-Irish word. OED [Oxford English Dictionary] thinks that the latter is English dialectical 'smithers' = fragments + Anglo-Irish suffix '-een.' But 'smithereens' is recorded (1825) much earlier than 'smithers'; and there is an Anglo-Irish 'smither' = to break into bits.

T

Tory

from Irish tōruighe (now tóraí), "plunderer, pursuer", from Old Irish tōirighim, "I pursue".

town

from Old English tún, from Proto Germanic *tūnaz, *tūnan, from Celtic *dūnom.

V

valet

from French, from Gallo-Romance *vassallittus, from Middle Latin vassallus, from vassus, from Old Celtic *wasso-, "young man, squire".

varlet

from Middle French, from Gallo-Romance *vassallittus, from Middle Latin vassallus, from vassus, from Old Celtic *wasso-, "young man, squire".

vassal

from Old French, from Middle Latin vassallus, from vassus, from Old Celtic *wasso-, "young man, squire".

W

whisky, whiskey

from Scottish Gaelic uisge bheatha, and Irish "uisce beatha," "water of life".

External links

• Online Etymology Dictionary