This page contains words for food and drink 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| bainne | bainne boinne |
bainney | ban† | banna | banne | milk drop |
| bia | biadh | bee | bwyd | boos | boued | food |
| bairín | bairín | berreen | bara | bara | bara | bread loaf cake |
| bleacht | bliochd | bluight | blith llefrith |
leuerid | bleiz livrizh |
milk milkiness |
| blonag | blonag | blonnag | bloneg | blonek | bloneg | fat lard blubber |
| lacht | lac lachd |
laght | llaeth | leth | laezh | milk sweet milk |
| cáis | càise | caashey | caws | keus | keuz | cheese |
| corim | curim | cuirrey | cwrw | korev | korev | beer feast banquet |
| cnó | cnò | cro | cnau | know | kraoñ | nut |
| dobhar | dobhar | dooar | dŵr | dowr | dour | water |
| sáile | sàl | sailley | hâl | hyli | hal | sea water salt |
| salann | salann | sollan | halen | holen | holen | salt |
| ím | ìm | eem | (y)menyn | amanyn | amanenn amann amonenn |
butter |
| mil | mil | mill | mêl | mel | mel | honey |
| pluma | plumais plùmbais |
plumbis | plemysen | ploumen | prunenn | plum |
| airne | àirne | airn | eirinen | eyrinen | irinenn | plum damson sloe |
| fíon | fìon | feeyn | gwin | gwin | gwin | wine |
| leann lionn |
leann lionn |
lhune lhionney |
llyn | lin | liñvenn | ale beer liquid drink |
| meá | meadh | medd(agh) | medd | medh | mez | mead |
| meas | meas | mess | mes | mes | mez | (tree) fruit nut acorn(s) |
| síol | sìol | sheel | hil | hil | hil | seed |
| sméar | smeur | smeyr | mwyar | mor | mouar | berry blackberry |
| sú | sùbh | soo | syfi | sevi | sivi | strawberry berry |
| sú | sùgh | soo soolagh |
sudd sug |
sugen | soubenn chug |
juice sap soup |
| taos | taois | teayst | toes | toos | toas toaz |
dough |
| úll | ubhal | ooyl | afal | aval | aval | apple |
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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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| aran | aran | arran | — | — | — | bread |
| arbhar | arbhar | arroo | — | — | — | grain |
| béile | beil | — | — | — | — | meal diet |
| — | — | — | blawd | bleus | bleud | flour |
| brachán | brochan | broghan | — | — | — | porridge oatmeal gruel |
| — | — | — | cinio |
kinnyow | — | dinner supper to dine |
| — | — | — | cwyn | kon | koan | dinner supper |
| dinnéar | dinnear | jinnair | — | — | — | dinner |
| feoil | feòil | feill | — | — | — | flesh meat |
| flúr | plùr | flooyr | — | — | — | flour flower |
| geir | geir | geirr | gwêr | — | — | fat tallow grease |
| — | — | — | had | has | had | seed |
| — | — | — | haidd | — | heiz | rye |
| íth† | — | — | uwd | yôs | yod | porridge oatmeal |
| leite | lite | — | — | — | — | porridge |
| lón | lòn | — | — | — | — | food repast lunch |
| longach | longadh | lhongey | — | — | — | meal consuming sustenance |
| min | min | meinn | — | — | — | flour meal |
| maróg | marag | — | — | — | — | pudding paunch |
| saill | saill | sahll | — | — | — | salted meat fat blubber |
| — | — | — | swyf | soov | soav | tallow fat grease |
| seagal | seagal | shoggyl | — | sugalen | — | rye |
| seill | seill | sahll | — | — | — | fat blubber suet |
| — | — | — | (y)sglodion | asklosen | askleud | chip(s) splinter(s) |
| tort | tort | — | torth | torth | torz | loaf cake |
| uisce | uisge | ushtey | — | — | — | water |
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.
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If you would like to make any corrections or additions to this page, or if you can provide recordings, please contact me.
Breton, Celtiberian, Cornish, Cumbric, Gaulish, Irish, Lepontic, Lusitanian, Manx, Scottish Gaelic, Welsh
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