This page contains verbs 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| báigh | bàth | baih | boddi | beudhi | beuziñ | to drown |
| bearr | beàrr | baarey | byr | berr | berr | to clip to cut short |
| bí | bì | bee | bod | bos | bezañ | to be |
| beo | beò | bio | byw | bewa | bevañ | to live alive |
| bhfuil | bheil | vel | gweld | gweles | gwelet | to see to be |
| blais | blais | blasstyn | blasu | blasa | blasa | to taste to smell |
| caoineadh | caoidh | keayney | cwyno | kyni | keuziañ | to lament to complain |
| can | can | caayn | canu | kana | kanañ | to sing to speak |
| cluin | cluinn | cluin | clywed | klewes | klevet | to hear |
| cor | car | cor | agor | ygor ygeri |
digor | to open turn |
| creathán | crithnich | craa | crynu | krena | krenañ | to tremble quake shiver |
| figh | fighe | fee | gweu | gwia | gweañ | to weave |
| fionn | fionn | feddyn | gwybod | godhvos | gouzout | to know find out discover |
| gabh | gabh | gow | gafael | gavel | gabael | to hold to take |
| gair | gàir | guee | gair | ger | ger | to call to shout to invoke |
| glao | glaodh | gyllagh | galw | galow | galv | (to) shout (to) call appeal |
| goin | goin | guinney | gwanu | gwana | gwanañ | to wound stab |
| ibh | ibh | iu | yfed | eva | evañ | to drink |
| labhair | labhair | loayrt | llefaru | leverel | lavaret | to speak to say to talk |
| léim | leum | lheim | llamu | lamma | lammat | to jump |
| líomh(adh) | lìomh | shleeu | llymu | llymma | lemmañ | to grind to polish to sharpen |
| loisc loscadh |
loisg losgadh |
losht lostey |
llosgi | leski | leskiñ loskañ |
to burn |
| marbh | marbh | marroo | marw | merwel | mervel | to die dead |
| meil | meil | beihll | malu | mala | malañ | to grind to crush to chew |
| rith | ruith | roie | rhedeg | resek | redek | to run |
| scríob | sgrìob | screeb | (y)sgrap | scrivinas† | skrabañ | to scrape scratch |
| scríobh | sgrìobh | screeu | ysgrifennu | skrifa | skrivañ | to write |
| seas | seas | shass | sefyll | sevel | sevel | to stand |
| sníomh | snìomh | sneeu | nyddu | nedha | nezañ | to spin to twist |
| suigh | suidh | soie | eistedd | esedha sedha |
sichañ | to sit |
| tacht | tachd | toghtey | tagu ystagu |
taga | tagañ | to choke |
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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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| abair | abair | abbyr | — | — | — | to say to speak |
| admhaigh | — | — | addef | — | anavout | to acknowledge admit |
| bain | buain | buinn | — | — | benañ | reap dig cut |
| básaigh | bàsaich | geddyn basse | — | — | — | to die dead |
| beir | beir | behr | beru | — | berañ | to carry to flow |
| bolaigh | boladh | — | — | — | — | to taste to smell |
| — | — | — | brydio | bryjyon | broudañ | to boil to burn |
| casadh | casadh | cassey | — | — | — | to curl twist turn |
| — | — | — | casglu | — | klask | to collect to gather |
| ceannaigh | ceannaich | chionnaghey | — | — | — | to buy to purchase |
| ceil | ceil | keill | cêl | kel | — | to hide to conceal |
| — | — | — | cerdded | kerdhes | kerzhet | to walk |
| — | — | — | chwilio | hwilas | c'houilia | to search to seek |
| — | — | — | comio | kows kewsel |
komz kaozeal |
to speak to say to talk |
| codail | caidil | caddil | — | — | — | to sleep |
| crean | crean | — | prynu | prena | prenañ | to buy to purchase to obtain |
| — | — | — | cysgu | koska | kousket | to sleep |
| cónaígh | còmhnaidh | cummal | — | — | — | to live to grip |
| déan | dèan | jean | geni | — | — | to do to make |
| — | — | — | dod dyfod |
dos | donet | to come |
| — | — | — | dwyn | don | dougen | to lead bear carry |
| — | — | — | — | dybri | debriñ | to eat |
| éigh | èigh | eie | — | — | — | to cry (out) shout call |
| fairged† | — | — | gwneud | gul | ober | to do to make |
| foïd† | — | — | aros | gortos | ober | to wait stay |
| fuirigh | fuirich | fariagh | — | — | — | to stay to abide |
| dul | dol | goll | — | — | — | to go |
| éadromaigh | aotromaich | eddrymaghey | — | — | — | to lighten |
| gal | gal | — | gallu | gallos | gallout | to be able to ardour valour warfare |
| ith | ith | ee | ysu | esat† | — | to eat |
| feic | faic | faik | — | — | — | to see to be |
| folc(tha) | — | — | golchi | golhi | gwalc'hiñ | to wash |
| guigh | guidh | guee | gweiddïo | — | — | to pray |
| léann | léigheann | — | llên | lien | lenn | to read reading literature learning |
| léigh | leugh | lhaih | lleaf lleu |
— | — | to read literature |
| lorg | lorg | lorgey | — | — | — | to search |
| — | — | — | magu | maga | magañ | to raise feed nurture |
| mair | mair | — | — | — | — | to live |
| mol | mol | moyl | moli | — | meuliñ | to praise |
| muinithir† | — | — | mynd | mos | monet | to go |
| nasc | naisg | naisht | — | — | naskañ | to bind to fasten |
| nigh | nigh | niee | — | — | — | to wash |
| ól | òl | oyl | — | — | — | to drink |
| — | — | — | — | pesi peji pysi |
pediñ | to pray |
| — | — | saveeney | huno | — | — | to sleep slumber |
| siúil | siubhail | shooill | — | — | — | to walk |
| — | — | — | sychu | segha | sec'hañ | to dry |
| tar tig |
thig | tar çheet |
— | — | — | to come |
| téigh | tèid | — | ardwy† | — | — | to go |
| — | — | — | toddi | teudha teudhi |
teuziñ | to thaw to melt |
| tongaid† | — | — | tyngu | ti(a) | touiñ | to swear vow |
| — | — | — | trigio godrig(af) |
triga | guotric† | to live to remain |
| triomaigh | tiormaich | chyrmaghey | — | — | — | to dry |
| — | — | — | troi | troyllya | treiñ | to turn spin |
| tuit | tuit | tuitt | — | — | — | to fall |
| — | — | — | tyfu | tevy | teñviñ | to grow |
| éiligh | eile† | — | wylo | ola | gouelañ | to cry to weep claim prayer |
| — | — | — | ysgafnhau | skafhe | skañvaad | to lighten |
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.
Stòr-fhaclan Co-dhàimheil Ceilteach (Database of Celtic cognates)
http://www.smo.uhi.ac.uk/gaidhlig/faclair/scc/lorg.php
McBain's Etymological Dictionary of the Gaelic Language
http://www.ceantar.org/Dicts/MB2/
Breton, Celtiberian, Cornish, Cumbric, Gaulish, Irish, Lepontic, Lusitanian, Manx, Scottish Gaelic, Welsh
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