This page contains words for parts of the body 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
These words are cognate in all six Celtic languages.
| Gaeilge (Irish) |
Gàidhlig (Gaelic) |
Gaelg (Manx) |
Cymraeg (Welsh) |
Kernewek (Cornish) |
Brezhoneg (Breton) |
English |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ae | adha | aane | afu | avi | avu | liver |
| ascaill | asgall | aghlish oghlish |
asgell | askel | askell | wing fin armpit |
| béal | beul | beeal | gwefus | gweus | gweuz | lip mouth |
| bolg | bolg | bolg | bol(a) | bolgh | bolc'h | belly stomach |
| bos | bas | bass | bos | bas | boz | palm fist |
| broinne | broinne | brein | bron bryn |
bronn | bronn | breast hill |
| ceann | ceann | kione | pen | penn | penn | head |
| ciall | ciall | keeall | pwyll | poll | poell | mind sense |
| cíoch | cìoch | keeagh | cig | kig | kig | breast meat flesh |
| corp | corp | corp | corff | korf | korf | body |
| craiceann | craiceann | crackan | croen | kroghen | kroc'hen | skin hide surface |
| croí | cridhe | cree | craidd | kres | kreiz | heart centre core |
| dorn | dòrn | doarn | dwrn | dorn | dorn | fist hand |
| eite | ite | fedjag | adain | aden† | attanoc† | wing fin feather |
| fabhra abhra |
fabhra abhra |
ferroogh | amrant | abrans | abrant | eyelid eyelash eyebrow |
| féith | fèith | feh | gwyth | gooth | gwazh | sinew muscle vein channel stream |
| folt | falt | folt | gwallt | gols | guolt† | hair |
| fuil | fuil | fuil | gweli | goli | gouli | blood wound |
| glúin | glùin | glioon | glin | glyn | glinn | knee |
| gualainn | gualainn | geaylin geayliney |
ysgywdd | skoodh | skoaz | shoulder |
| ionga | ìne ionga |
yngin | ewin | ewin | ivin | (finger/toe) nail |
| lámh | làmh | laue | llaw | leuv | lav | hand arm |
| sáil | sàil | saayl | sawdl | seudhel | seul | heel |
| scamhóg | sgamhan | scowan | ysgefaint | skevens | skevent | lung(s) |
| súil | sùil | sooill | haul | howl | heol | eye sun |
| srón | sròn | stroin | ffroen | frig | froen | nose nostril |
| teanga | teanga | çhengey | tafod | taves | teod | tongue language |
| troigh | troigh | trie | troed | troos | troad | foot |
| tul | tul | tool | tâl | tal | tal | forehead brow head |
| uillinn | uileann | uillin | elin | elin | ilin | elbow |
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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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| — | adhbrann | abane | — | — | — | ankle |
| aghaidh | aghaidh | oai | — | — | — | face front |
| aineach eineach |
eanach | — | wyneb | enep | eneb | face honour reputation |
| alt | alt | olt | — | — | — | joint organ knuckle |
| éadan | aodann | eddin | — | — | — | brow forehead |
| áru† | àra | arrey | aren | — | — | kidney |
| — | — | — | asgwrn | askorn | askorn | bone |
| ball | ball | — | — | — | — | organ (male) member |
| — | — | — | blew | blew | blev | hair bristles |
| biss† | — | — | bys | bys | biz | finger |
| — | bòc | — | boch | bogh | boc'h | cheek bloat |
| bonn | bonn | boyn | — | — | — | sole base foot |
| brac | brac | — | braich | bregh | brec'h | arm hand |
| brollach | brollach | brollagh | — | — | — | breast bosom |
| — | caill† | — | caill | kell | kell | testicle |
| — | — | — | calon | kolon | kalon | heart soul |
| caolán | caolan | collane | — | — | — | gut bowel |
| — | — | — | cefn | keyn | kein | back |
| cluas | cluas | cleaysh | clust | — | — | ear |
| — | — | — | clun | klun | klun | hip buttocks |
| cnámh | cnàimh | craue | cnaw | — | — | bone skull |
| cneas | cneas | — | cnawd | kneus | kneud (?) | skin flesh |
| colainn | colann | callin | celain | — | — | body torso corpse |
| — | — | — | coludd | kolodhyon | kaouded | intestine guts heart |
| cos | cas cos |
cass | coes | koos | — | leg foot |
| — | — | — | cramen | kramenn | scab sore crust |
|
| cró | crò | — | crau | krow | — | blood gore |
| déad | deud | — | dant | dans | dant | tooth |
| dreach | dreach | dreagh | drych | — | derch† | look aspect expression face |
| droim | druim | dreeym | — | — | — | back ridge |
| éadan | aodann | eddin | — | — | — | front face facade |
| esna | asna | asney | ais | asownn | — | rib |
| fiacail | fiacail | feeackle feeackyl |
— | — | — | tooth |
| galba | galba | — | gylfin | gelvin | golv | beak nose |
| gairr† | — | — | gar | garr | gar | leg shank thigh |
| gnúis | gnùis | grooish | gnis | greuv | — | face brow jaw |
| gob | gob | gob | — | — | — | beak bill point |
| — | — | — | gwaed | goos | gwad | blood |
| — | — | — | gwddf gwddw gwddwg |
— | gouzoug goûg |
throat neck |
| inchinn | eanchainn | — | ymennydd | ympynnyon | empenn | mind brain |
| intinn | inntinn | inçhyn | — | — | — | brain |
| leiceann | lethcheann | lieckan | — | — | — | cheek |
| — | — | — | llygad | lagas | lagad | eye |
| magairle | magairle | maggle | — | — | — | testicle |
| mala | mala | mollee | — | — | malvenn | eyebrow eyelid eyelash |
| méar | meur | mair | — | — | — | finger toe |
| más | màs | maaish | — | — | — | buttock(s) ham thigh |
| — | — | — | migwrn | — | migorn | ankle knuckle cartilage |
| — | — | — | min | min | min | lip mouth pout |
| muineál | muineal | mwannal | mwnwgl mwnwg mynwgl |
— | — | neck |
| — | — | — | pen-glin pen-lin |
penn glin />pedn glin |
penn-glin | knee |
| rí | ruighe | roih | — | — | — | forearm arm |
| scornach | sgòrnan | scoarnagh | — | — | — | throat mouth |
| tóin | tòn | thoyn toinn |
tin | tin† | — | bottom buttocks breech |
| — | — | — | trwyn | tron | stroen | nose snot |
| ucht | uchd | ught | — | — | — | chest breast lap |
| — | — | — | ysgyfarn† | skovarn | skouarn | ear handle |
Words marked* are archaic or obselete.
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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
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.
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.
Breton, Celtiberian, Cornish, Cumbric, Gaulish, Irish, Lepontic, Lusitanian, Manx, Scottish Gaelic, Welsh
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