List of English words of Celtic origin
Encyclopedia
A list of English language
words derived from the Celtic Gaulish language
, entering English via Old Frankish
or Vulgar Latin
and Old French
ambassador
: from Old French embassadeur, from Latin ambactus, from Gaulish *ambactos, "servant", "henchman", "one who goes about".
beak
: from Old French bec, from Latin beccus, from Gaulish becco.
bilge
: from Old French boulge, from Latin bulga, from Gaulish bulgā, "sack".
bran
: from Gaulish brenno, through the French bren, "the husk of wheat", "barley...".
brave : from Prov/Cat brau, from Gaulish bragos.
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.
bulge : from Old French boulge, from Latin bulga, from Gaulish bulgā, "sack".
car
: from Norman French carre, from L. carrum, carrus (pl. carra), orig. "two-wheeled Celtic war chariot," from Gaulish karros.
cream
: from Old French cresme, from Gaulish crāmum.
change
: of Gaulish origin, from PIE base *kamb- "to bend, crook". Borrowed into Latin as cambire-> Late Latin cambiare "to barter, exchange", from there to Old French changier "to change, alter", onwards to Middle English.
down : from Celtic root dún.
duffel : from the placename Duffel
, from dubro en locus, from Gaulish dubrum, *dubron, "water".
dune
: from Middle Dutch, Middle Low German, or French, all from Gaulish *dunom.
embassy : from Middle French embassee, from Italian ambasciata, from Old Provençal ambaisada, from Latin Ambactus, from Gaulish *ambactos, "servant", "henchman", "one who goes about".
glean : from Old French glener, from Late Latin
glennare, from Gaulish glanos, "clean".
gob : from Old French gobe, likely from Gaulish *gobbo-.
palfrey
: from Old French palefrei, from Latin paraverēdus from Greek para + Latin verēdus, from Gaulish *vorēdos.
piece : from Old French, from Vulgar Latin *pettia, likely from Gaulish.
truant
: from Old French, from Gaulish *trougo-, "miser".
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".
English language
English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
words derived from the Celtic Gaulish language
Gaulish language
The Gaulish language is an extinct Celtic language that was spoken by the Gauls, a people who inhabited the region known as Gaul from the Iron Age through the Roman period...
, entering English via Old Frankish
Old Frankish
Old Frankish is an extinct West Germanic language, once spoken by the Franks. It is the parent language of the Franconian languages, of which Dutch and Afrikaans are the most known descendants...
or Vulgar Latin
Vulgar Latin
Vulgar Latin is any of the nonstandard forms of Latin from which the Romance languages developed. Because of its nonstandard nature, it had no official orthography. All written works used Classical Latin, with very few exceptions...
and Old French
Old French
Old French was the Romance dialect continuum spoken in territories that span roughly the northern half of modern France and parts of modern Belgium and Switzerland from the 9th century to the 14th century...
ambassador
Ambassador
An ambassador is the highest ranking diplomat who represents a nation and is usually accredited to a foreign sovereign or government, or to an international organization....
: from Old French embassadeur, from Latin ambactus, from Gaulish *ambactos, "servant", "henchman", "one who goes about".
beak
Beak
The beak, bill or rostrum is an external anatomical structure of birds which is used for eating and for grooming, manipulating objects, killing prey, fighting, probing for food, courtship and feeding young...
: from Old French bec, from Latin beccus, from Gaulish becco.
bilge
Bilge
The bilge is the lowest compartment on a ship where the two sides meet at the keel. The word was coined in 1513.-Bilge water:The word is sometimes also used to describe the water that collects in this compartment. Water that does not drain off the side of the deck drains down through the ship into...
: from Old French boulge, from Latin bulga, from Gaulish bulgā, "sack".
bran
Bran
Bran is the hard outer layer of grain and consists of combined aleurone and pericarp. Along with germ, it is an integral part of whole grains, and is often produced as a by-product of milling in the production of refined grains. When bran is removed from grains, the grains lose a portion of their...
: from Gaulish brenno, through the French bren, "the husk of wheat", "barley...".
brave : from Prov/Cat brau, from Gaulish bragos.
budge (lambskin) : from Old French bulge, from Latin bulga, from Gaulish bulgā, "sack".
budget
Budget
A budget is a financial plan and a list of all planned expenses and revenues. It is a plan for saving, borrowing and spending. A budget is an important concept in microeconomics, which uses a budget line to illustrate the trade-offs between two or more goods...
: from Old French bougette, from bouge, from Latin bulga, from Gaulish bulgā.
bulge : from Old French boulge, from Latin bulga, from Gaulish bulgā, "sack".
car
Čar
Čar is a village in the municipality of Bujanovac, Serbia. According to the 2002 census, the town has a population of 296 people.-References:...
: from Norman French carre, from L. carrum, carrus (pl. carra), orig. "two-wheeled Celtic war chariot," from Gaulish karros.
cream
Cream
Cream is a dairy product that is composed of the higher-butterfat layer skimmed from the top of milk before homogenization. In un-homogenized milk, over time, the lighter fat rises to the top. In the industrial production of cream this process is accelerated by using centrifuges called "separators"...
: from Old French cresme, from Gaulish crāmum.
change
Change
Change may refer to:- The process of becoming different:* Social change* Biological metamorphosis* Change , the mathematical study of change* Percentage change, in statistics* Fold change, in statistics...
: of Gaulish origin, from PIE base *kamb- "to bend, crook". Borrowed into Latin as cambire-> Late Latin cambiare "to barter, exchange", from there to Old French changier "to change, alter", onwards to Middle English.
down : from Celtic root dún.
duffel : from the placename Duffel
Duffel
Duffel is a municipality in the Belgian province of Antwerp.The municipality comprises only the town of Duffel proper. On January 1, 2006 Duffel had a total population of 16,019...
, from dubro en locus, from Gaulish dubrum, *dubron, "water".
dune
Dune
In physical geography, a dune is a hill of sand built by wind. Dunes occur in different forms and sizes, formed by interaction with the wind. Most kinds of dunes are longer on the windward side where the sand is pushed up the dune and have a shorter "slip face" in the lee of the wind...
: from Middle Dutch, Middle Low German, or French, all from Gaulish *dunom.
embassy : from Middle French embassee, from Italian ambasciata, from Old Provençal ambaisada, from Latin Ambactus, from Gaulish *ambactos, "servant", "henchman", "one who goes about".
glean : from Old French glener, from Late Latin
Late Latin
Late Latin is the scholarly name for the written Latin of Late Antiquity. The English dictionary definition of Late Latin dates this period from the 3rd to the 6th centuries AD extending in Spain to the 7th. This somewhat ambiguously defined period fits between Classical Latin and Medieval Latin...
glennare, from Gaulish glanos, "clean".
gob : from Old French gobe, likely from Gaulish *gobbo-.
palfrey
Palfrey
A palfrey is a type of horse highly valued as a riding horse in the Middle Ages. It is not a breed.The word "palfrey" is cognate with the German word for horse , "Pferd". Both descend from Latin "paraveredus", meaning a post horse or courier horse...
: from Old French palefrei, from Latin paraverēdus from Greek para + Latin verēdus, from Gaulish *vorēdos.
piece : from Old French, from Vulgar Latin *pettia, likely from Gaulish.
truant
Truancy
Truancy is any intentional unauthorized absence from compulsory schooling. The term typically describes absences caused by students of their own free will, and usually does not refer to legitimate "excused" absences, such as ones related to medical conditions...
: from Old French, from Gaulish *trougo-, "miser".
valet
Valet
Valet and varlet are terms for male servants who serve as personal attendants to their employer.- Word origins :In the Middle Ages, the valet de chambre to a ruler was a prestigious appointment for young men...
: 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
Vassal
A vassal or feudatory is a person who has entered into a mutual obligation to a lord or monarch in the context of the feudal system in medieval Europe. The obligations often included military support and mutual protection, in exchange for certain privileges, usually including the grant of land held...
: from Old French, from Middle Latin vassallus, from vassus, from Old Celtic *wasso-, "young man", "squire".