List of Spanish words of Celtic origin
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This is a list of
Gaulish and those that have come from an undetermined Celtic source. Some of these words existed in Latin as loanwords from a Celtic source. Some of these words have alternate etymologies and may also appear on a list of Spanish words from a different language. Any form with an asterisk (*) is unattested and therefore hypothetical
.
List
From English:
- túnel "tunnel"
From French:
- bachiller "graduate", from French bachelier and this from late Latin baccalaureatus "bachelor".
- batalla " battuere, see batir below.
- billar "billiard".
- brigada "brigade"
- broche "pin, badger."
- coñac "brandy"
- crema "cream" from French crème
- debate "dispute, quarrel". from Old French debat "discussion, controversy, contest" (Modern French débat, from debattre, debatre, "to fight, wrestle, struggle," from de- + battre, batre "to fight, strike," from Latin battere, battuere, see batir above.
- dolmen from French dolmen
- embajador "ambassador" and this from gaulish ambi-actos "who serves around".
- jabalina, from Middle French javeline, diminutive of javelot; akin to Irish gabhla "spear", Welsh gaflach "dart", Breton gavelod
- tenería "tannery", from French tannerie, from tan "tanbark"; akin to Breton tann "red oak", Old Cornish tannen, Old and Modern Irish tinne "mass of metal from furnace; metal bar, ingot"; (ogham letter) "holly, elder".
- pingüino "penguin" from fr. pingouin.
- tonel "barrel" from French tonel and this from Celtic *tunna "skin"
- tonelada "ton" see *tonel
- truhán "buffoon, jester" from French truand
From Italian:
- brocado "brocade". From Italian broccato, from brocco "a twist thread, shoot, sprout," see bróculi below.
- brócoli "broccoli". From Italian broccoli, plural of broccolo, "sprout of cabbage/turnip" diminutive of brocco "shoot, sprout," from Vulgar Latin (*)brocca, see broche above.
From Late or Vulgar Latin:
- abedul "birch tree" from late Latin betula "birch", diminutive of Gaulish betuā "birch"; akin to Old Irish bethe, Irish/Scottish beith, Manx beih, Welsh bedw, Breton bezv. The a of abedul is by the influence of Spanish abeto "fir tree.
- álamo "white poplar"
- alondra "lark" (OSp aloa) from gaulish alauda
- alosa "shad"
- ambuesta
- amelga "plot of land marked for planting"
- añicos "shards, smithereens"
- arpende "arpent" (OSp arapende) from Latin arapennis "old measure"
- banzo "cross-bar" from common Celtic wankios}
- baranda "railing, balustrade"
- bazo "spleen" from Latin badios "red"
- beleño "henbane" from gaulish beleniom "henbane"
- belesa "leadwort"
- berrendo "bicolor(ed) (animal); pronghorn bull"
- berro "watercress" from common Celtic *beruro "watercress"
- berrueco, barrueco "granitic crag, irregular pearl, round nodule"
- betún "tar" from Latin *bitumen
- bezo "big lip"
- bodollo "pruning hook"
- boque/*buco "billy-goat, buck"
- bosta "dung" from *boud-sta (PIE *gwou- "excrement") Proto-Celtic: boud-ro "dirty"
- breca "common pandora" from Celtic *brĭcco "spotted, speckled"
- OSp bren "bran; filth"
- breña "scrubland"
- brezo "heather"
- británico "British"
- brizo "cradle, lap"
- bruja "witch"
- buco "billy goat" from a Celtic *bukko
- bustar "cow pasture"
- camba "standard, sheth (of plow)", cambija "water tower"
- cambriano "Cambrian"
- camino "way" from Celtic *camanos through lat. caminus
- cantiga "song"
- carro "cart"
- cayo
- centollo "spider crab"
- colmado
- colmena "beehive"
- combleza "mistress, home-wrecker"
- correa "belt"
- corro "circle"
- cresa "maggot"
- cueto "hillock"
- duerna "trough"
- engorar "to addle"
- eranela
- galga "large stone"
- gallardo "gaillard" from French gaillard
- gancho "hook"
- garra "claw, talon"
- garza "heron"
- gavilla "handful"
- germánico "Germanic"
- gladíola/gladiola
- greña "stubborn or tangled hair"
- gubia through the Latin gulbia from Celtic *gulbia
- güero ~ huero "vain, vacuous, without substance"
- landa "open field"
- lanza "lance"
- lanzar "to launch"
- lata "tin, tin can"
- légamo "slime, mud"
- legua "league (unit)"
- lía "dregs, lees"
- llanta
- loja, locha
- losa "flagstone" from hisp-Celtic *lausa "flagstone"
- mina "mine" through the Latin mina. However asturian mena 'vein' directly from Celtic *mena.
- páramo "moorland"
- pieza "piece" from Celtic *pĕttĭa through the Latin pĕtia.
- pingüino "penguin"
- pinzón "finch"
- pote "pot"
- quéjigo "Portuguese oak"
- raya "line"
- rodaballo "brill, seabass"
- sábalo "shad"
- sabueso "hound"
- saya "tunic", *sayo "cloak" through the Latin sagium from Celtic *sagos
- sel "mountain pasture, commons"
- serna "ploughed or sown field"
- soga "rope"
- taladro "auger, drill"
- tanino "tanine"
- tarugo "wooden peg"
- tejón "badger"
- tenería
- terco "stubborn"
- tollo "mire, muddy place"
- tona
- tranca "cudgel, club"
- trapo "rag"
- varga "straw- or thatch-roofed hut"
- varón "man"
- vasallo "vassal" from Celtic *vassallos "servant" through the Latin vassallus
- vereda "path" from Celtic *voretom through the Latin vereda "way"
- yezgo, yiezgo "dwarf elder"
Inherited Hispano-Celtic
- acarrear to suffix-ar.
- álamo "white poplar" (also Asturian llamera); akin to Irish leamhán "elm", Welsh llwyf, Cornish elow, Breton evlec'h "elm"
- alondra "lark" (OSp aloa), from Gaulish alauda "crest lark", derivative of *ala "swan", akin to Irish eala and Welsh alarch
- ambuesta, (also Catalan embosta, almosta), from Gaulish ambostā "hands together"; akin to Old Irish imbas
- amelga, (also Galician embelga) from *ambelica, from ambi "around" + el- "to go" + -ica; akin to Old Irish adellaim "to visit, go to", Welsh elo "I went", Cornish ella "he was going"
- añicos "smithereens" (also Galician anaco, Old Catalan anyoc), from *ann- + -acos
- Old Spanish arapende "arpent"; akin to Old Irish airchenn "end, extremity", Welsh arbenn "chief" and erbyn "against", Cornish erbynn "id."
- banzo "cross-bar", (also Galician banzo) from *wankio "bar, beam"; akin to Irish féige "ridgepole"
- baranda "railing, balustrade", (also Portuguese varanda, Catalan barana) from *varandā, from *rannā "part, portion"; Welsh rhan, Cornish/Breton rann, Irish roinn
- beleño "henbane", from belenion (Pseudo-Aristotle, De plantis, 7.821); akin to Welsh bela "henbane", Old Irish béal "sun"
- belga "of swell";[1]akin to Old Irish bolgaid '(s)he swells'.
- berrendo "bicolor; pronghorn", originally just "pronghorn", from *barrovindos "white-tipped", from *barros "tip, peak" + vindos "white"; akin to Irish/Breton barr "peak", Cornish/Welsh bar "id."; also Old Irish find, Ir/Sc fionn, Welsh gwyn, Breton gwenn
- berro "watercress", (also Galician berro) from *beruro; akin to Welsh berwr, Breton/Cornish beler, Old Irish birar, Irish biolar, Scottish Gaelic biolaire
- berrueco "granite crag, cliff", from ver "over" and rocca "rock"
- berzo (dial.) (also Old Spanish brizo, Galician berce), from *bertium "load"; akin to Irish/Scottish beárt "load", bertaim "to rock"
- bezo "big lip, lip blubber" (also Galician beizo "lip"), from OSp beço "snout", from *beiccion "animal's mouth", from *baicciō "to yell"; akin to Old Irish béccim, Irish béic ‘yell, roar’, Scottish beuc, Welsh beichio ‘to low, sob’, Cornish begi ‘to bray’, Breton begiad ‘to bleat’
- bodollo (Huesca) "pruning hook", from *vidubion (also French vouge, Occitan vezoig); akin to Welsh gwyddif "billhook", Cornish gwydhyv "id.", Irish fiodhbha "sickle", Breton gouzifiad "boar-spear"
- breña "scrubland; rocky terrain", from *brigna, from briga "fortress"; akin to Middle Irish brí, genitivebrig "mountain", Scottish breaghe "fortified hill", Welsh bre "hill", bryn "id", Cornish bre, brenn "hill", Breton bre "hill", bern "brooch, prickles"
- brezo "heather" (also Navarre beruezo, Galician breixo, Asturian berezu), from OSp bruezo, from *brocceus, from brūcus, from HispCelt *vroicos; akin to Welsh/Cornish grug (< *wrūcos < *wroicos), Middle Breton groegan, Old Irish froích, fróech, Irish fraoch. Similarly, Catalan bruc, Occitan bruga, Milanese brüg < *brūca.
- bruja "witch" (also Portuguese bruxa, Aragonese broixa, Catalan bruixa), from *bruxtia, from *brixta "magic"; akin to Middle Welsh brith-ron "magic wand", Breton bre "witch, magic", breoù "spells, charms", Old Irish brichtu "charms", brigim "to light up, illuminate", Brigit "shining one".
- brusco is from Italian brusco "sharp, tart, rough" and has two possible etymologies:
- either it is akin to Welsh brysg "nimble, lively", Irish/Scottish briosg "to be surprised, to jump for joy"
- or it is from Medieval Latin bruscus "butcher's broom plant", a blend of Latin ruscus "butcher's broom" and Late Latin brucus "heather"
- bustar "cow pasture" (OSp busto "meadow, cowfield", Portuguese bostar, Old Galician busto "dairy farm; herd"), from Celtiberian boustom "byre, cowshed" (Old Irish búas "wealth in cattle") and aro "field" (cf. Irish ár, Welsh âr, Cornish/Breton ar)
- camba "standard, sheth (of a plow)", cambija "water tower" (also Galician and Portuguese canga "yoke", Galician camba "wheel rim"), from *camba "crooked, bent", feminine of *cambos; akin to Old Irish camm 'crooked', Irish/Scottish cam, Welsh cam, Cornish/Breton kam "curved, bent"; Welsh camedd "tire rim", Breton kammed, both from *camijo.
- cargar= to carricare "to load," from carrus, see carro below.
- carril= a highway lane: from carro, see carro below.
- carro=
- centollo "spider crab", (also Galician centolo, Portuguese santola) from Celtic cintu "first" + ollos "large, big", referring to the fact it is larger than more common species of crabs; akin to Breton kent "before", Cornish kens, kyns "before, early", Welsh cynt "id.", Irish céad "first"; and Middle Irish oll "big, large", Welsh/Cornish oll "all, entire"
- colmena "beehive" (also Portuguese colmeia, Galician colmea), from *colmēnā "made from straw", from *colmos "straw" (cf. Leonese cuelmo "straw"); akin to Breton kolo "stalk" (MBr koloff)
- combleza "mistress, home-wrecker", (also Old Galician combooça) from OSp comblueça ~ conborça, from *combortia, from *com-berō "to take"; akin to Welsh cymeryd, cymryd 'to take', Breton kemer, komer, Cornish kemeres 'to take', Irish cobirth 'help'
- combo "bent", from *combos; akin to
- correa= belt, from Gallo-Latin corrigia "strap" (compare also Galician corre "twisted twig using as a bond"); akin to Old Irish cuimrech "fetter", Scottish cuibhreach "bond, chain", Welsh cyfrwy "saddle", Middle Welsh kyfreieu "leashes", Cornish kevrenn "fastening, link", Breton kevre "link, bond"
- corro "circle"; akin to Middle Irish cor "circle", corrán "sickle", Welsh cor "circle", Cornish kor "hedge, boundary; turn, shift"
- cresa "maggot" (also Galician careixa), older queresa "maggot", from *carisia "decay"; akin to Old Irish doro-chair "to fall", Irish torchair, Scottish torchuir
- duerna "trough" (also Galician dorna), from *durnos "hand"; akin to Irish dorn, Welsh dwrn, Breton dourn
- engorar "to addle", in OSp "to brood" (also Galician gorar "to brood, sit on eggs"); akin to Old Irish gorid 'to warm', Welsh/Cornish gori 'to brood, sit (on eggs)', Breton goriñ
- galga "large stone", from *gallicā, from *gallos; akin to Old Irish gall 'stone pillar', gallán 'standing stone'
- gancho "hook" (also French jachère "fallow field"), from *ganscio "small curved branch"; akin to Old Irish gesca "branch"
- garra "claw, talon"; akin to Welsh gar "leg", Corn/Bret garr "leg, stalk, stem", Old Irish gairri "calves of the leg", Irish cara
- garza "heron" (also Portuguese garça), from *cárcia; akin to Welsh crychydd, Cornish kerghydh, Breton kerc'heiz
- gavilla "handful", from gabella, from *gabali; akin to Irish gabhaim "to take", Welsh gafael "to grasp, hold", Cornish gavel; also Welsh gefel "tongs", Breton/Cornish gevel, Old Irish gabál
- greña (OSp greñón "hair, beard"), from *grennos; akin to Old Irish grend "beard", Irish greann, Welsh grann "eyelid", Breton gourenn
- gubia "gouge" (also Portuguese goiva, French gouge), from *gulbia; akin to Old Irish gulba "sting", Scottish gilb "chisel", Old Welsh gilb "piercer", Welsh gylf "beak", Old Breton golb "beak", Breton golv "tailless"
- güero ~ huero "vain, vacuous, without substance", from dialectal gorar "to brood, sit on eggs" (see engorar above)
- legua "league", from Late Latin leucas; akin to Old Irish líe (gen. líac) "stone", Irish liag
- lía "dregs, lees", légamo "slime, mud" (liga ~ lidia ~ liria "birdlime", Basque lekeda), from *liga; Old Breton leh 'silt, deposit', Breton lec'hi 'dregs', Welsh llai 'silt, deposit'
- Old Spanish mañero 'sterile, infertile', from *mannuarius, derivative of Latin mannus 'dwarf horse' (cf. Portuguese maninho 'sterile'), from Gaulish *mandos (cf. Basque mando 'mule')
- mina "mine", from *mēna (also Asturian mena "vein"), from *meina "ore"; akin to Welsh mwyn "ore", Cornish moen, Irish míanach
- páramo "moor", attested as parami, from *par- + -amus (superlative).[3]
- pinzón "finch" (var. pinchón; also Catalan pinsà, Occitan quinçon, Tuscan pincióne) from Gaulish pinciō(ne); akin to Welsh pinc, Breton pint
- quejigo "Portuguese oak", from earlier cajigo, from Asturian caxigu (also Aragonese caxico, caixico "oak", Galician caxigo "Portuguese oak"), from *cass- (cf. Gascon casse, French chêne) + -ico; akin to Middle Irish cas "curly, gnarled", cassaim "to bend", Irish cas "to twist, turn, spin", Old Welsh cascord, Welsh cosgordd "twist"
- rodaballo "brill, seabass", from *rota-ballos "round-limbed", from rota "wheel, circle" + ballos "limb"; akin to Old Irish roth, Welsh rhod, Cornish ros, Breton rod and Irish ball "limb", Welsh balleg ‘sack, purse’, Cornish ballek ‘bow-net’
- sábalo "shad" (also Portuguese sável, Catalan saboga, Galician sable), from *sabolos; akin to Old Irish sam "summer", Welsh haf, Breton hañv, Cornish hav, with typical Celtic m > b lenition
- saya; akin to Middle Irish sén "snare", semmen "rivet", Welsh hoenyn "snare", hemin "rivet"
- sel, from *sedlon "seat"; akin to Old Welsh hadl
- serna "tilled or sown field" (also Old Galician senara, Galician senra, Portuguese seara), from *senaro, from *sen "separate, apart" + *aro "field"; akin to Old Irish sain "alone", Welsh han "other", Cornish honan "self, one's own", and Irish ár, Welsh âr, Cornish/Breton ar.
- soga (also Portuguese/Italian soga, Old French seuwe), from Gaulish *sōca; akin to Welsh/Cornish syg "chain", Breton sug "harness trace", Irish suag "rope", Scottish sùgan "straw rope"
- taladro, (also Galician trado) from *taratron; akin to Welsh taradr "drill", Irish tarachair, Cornish tarder, Breton tarar
- tarugo, from *tarūcon; akin to Scottish tarag, tarrag "nail, stud"
- tejón "badger" (also Portuguese texugo, Catalan teixó, toixó, Old French taisson, Italian tasso), from OSp texón, from Gaulish *taskios; akin to Old Irish (person's name) Tadg "badger", Scottish taghan "marten", Old Welsh (person's name) Teuhuant
- terco "stubborn" (also Catalan enterch 'stiff, rigid', Béarnais terc 'cruel, treacherous', Italian terchio, tirchio 'miserly, crude'), from *tercos; akin to Middle Irish terc, Welsh taerc 'miserly, scarce'
- tollo "mire, muddy place" (also Catalan toll "pool in a river", Galician tol "dam"), from *tollos; akin to Irish/Cornish toll "hole", Welsh twll, Breton toull
- tona, from Galician tona "skin, bark", from Gaulish *tunna, "skin, hide, rind"; akin to Old Irish tonn "skin, surface", Irish tonn "hide, skin", Welsh ton "skin", Cornish ton "surface", Breton tonnen "rind, surface". From the same source came Late Latin tunna 'wine-cask',[4] whence French tonne 'tun' (wine-cask)', tonneau 'barrel'.
- tranca "club, cudgel" (also Portuguese/Galician tranca "door bolt"), from *tarinca; akin to Old Irish tairinge "iron nail, tine", Irish tairne "metal nail", Scottish tairnge "nail"
- truhán "jester, baffoon" (also Portuguese truão, Galician trogo "sadness, pity", French truand "vagrant, beggar"); akin to Old Irish tróg "miserable", Irish trogha, Scottish truagh, Welsh tru "wretched", Breton truc "beggar", Cornish troc "miser; wretched"
- varga (also Portuguese/Catalan barga "wattle hut", dial. French barge "haybale, straw heap"), from barga (Lat fundus bargae, in Tabula Veleiana, c. a.d. 2nd century); akin to Middle Irish barc "fort; woodhouse"
- yezgo, yiezgo "elder" (also Asturian eldu, Galician engo, Occitan augué, êgou), from older yedgo, iedgo, from *edecus, alteration of Gaulish odecus, odicus (Marcellus Empiricus, De medicamentis liber, 7.13), which was also loaned into German Attich "dwarf elder, danewort", Old Saxon aduk, Dutch hadik.
Loanwords
- abatir to lower, to knock down, to assimilatedto the b in battuere.
- abomaso intestine of an ox," possibly from Gaulish.
- abrochar to suffix-ar.
- atolladero a suffix-ar.
- bachiller a ruraldweller, farmer."
- batalla battuere, see batir below.
- batería battery: from French batterie (originally referred to a battery of kitchen utensils made with a hammer), from battre, from Latin battere, battuere, see batir below.
- batir to hit, strike: from Latin battere, battuere, "to beat, strike," probably of Celtic origin.
- batuta an orchestra conductor's baton: from Italian battuta, from battere, from Latin battere, battuerre, see batir above.
- bohemio a is disputed, either "cattle-owners" or "warriors, strikers".
- brécoles broccoli
- británico from Latin britannicus, from Britannia; akin to Welsh pryd "form", Irish cruth
- broca from nail
- brocado a brocade: from Italian broccato, from brocco "a twist thread, shoot, sprout," see bróculi below.
- broche pin, badger."
- bróculi broccoli: from Italian broccoli, plural of broccolo, "sprout of cabbage/turnip" diminutive of brocco "shoot, sprout," from Vulgar Latin (*)brocca, see broche above.
- combatir to engage in combat, to fight: from com- + see batir above.
- conejo rabbit: Iberian or Celtiberian; cf Irish coinín, Cornish conyn, Manx coneeyn, Gaelic coineanach, Welsh cwningen.
- debate a debate, dispute, quarrel: from Old French debat "discussion, controversy, contest" (Modern French débat), from debattre, debatre, "to fight, wrestle, struggle," from de- + battre, batre "to fight, strike," from Latin battere, battuere, see batir above.
- jabalina, from Middle French javeline, diminutive of javelot; akin to Irish gabhla "spear", Welsh gaflach "dart", Breton gavelod
- teneria "tannery", from French tannerie, from tan "tanbark"; akin to Breton tann "red oak", Old Cornish tannen, Old and Modern Irish tinne "mass of metal from furnace; metal bar, ingot; (ogham letter) "holly, alder".
See also
- Linguistic history of Spanish
- List of Galician words of Celtic origin
- List of Spanish words of Basque/Iberian origin
- List of English words of Spanish origin
- Lists of English words of Celtic origin
- List of French words of Gaulish origin
Notes
- ^ "Homework Help and Textbook Solutions | bartleby". Archived from the original on 2005-12-27.
- ^ "Mass Media Essay Topics | Bartleby".
- ^ This word is known in the native lexicon of the Celtiberian region in Roman times in names and adjectives: PARAMI (CIL II 266), and the town Segontia Paramica. The word could belong to a Hispanic Celtic language which preserved the phoneme /p/ or to another Western Indo-European language as Lusitanian (X. Ballester "Páramo' o del problema de la */P/ en celtoide", Studi celtici 3, 2004, 45-56).
- ^ DRAE: 'tona'
Bibliography
- Cornelius Joseph Crowly, "New Linguistic Date for Hispano-Celtic: An Evaluation", Bono Homini Donum: Essays in Historical Linguistics in Memory of J. Alexander Kerns, vol. 1, ed., Yoël L. Arbeitman & Allan R. Bomhard (Amsterdam: John Benjamins, 1981), pp. 73–85.
- Guido Gómez de Silva, Breve diccionario etimológico de la lengua española (ISBN 968-16-2812-8)
- The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language, 4th edn. (2000).