Few English words are definitively known to come directly from Brittonic, the language of the Celtic inhabitants of Britain prior to the Anglo-Saxon settlement of Britain. Words of Celtic origin have entered the English language by a number of different pathways, and some have been attributed to Brittonic as well as its descendants or other Celtic languages. This list omits words of Celtic origin from these other pathways:
- Continental Celtic words adopted by Proto-Germanic speakers in continental Europe, prior to Anglo-Saxon settlement (e.g. down, iron, leather, rich).
- Words of Gaulish origin, which outnumber those of Brittonic origin. These words arrived through Norman French, which became the prestige language of England following the Norman conquest, and was often strengthened in form and use by Church/state Latin (e.g. ambassador, bound, car, carpenter, piece).
- Words of Welsh origin (including Cornish), both descended from Brittonic (e.g. coracle, corgi, crag, flannel, gull, lawn, wrasse). Words in bold have also been attributed directly to Brittonic.
- Words of Scottish Gaelic origin (e.g. bog, bother, clan, hubbub, glen, keening, however see Irish below)
- Words of Irish origin (e.g. bog, clock, galore, gob, keening)
- Breton has chiefly been the source of local terms in archaeology (e.g. dolmen, menhir)
List
Academia recognises beyond all reasonable doubt "fewer than ten" Brittonic loan-words in English that are neither historic nor obsolete. The following list derives mainly from surveys of possible Brittonic loanwords in English by Richard Coates, Dieter Kastovsky, and D. Gary Miller. Etymologies from the Oxford English Dictionary are included to indicate the view of this authoritative (but not necessarily definitive) source, distinguishing between the first, second, third and online editions. Words that are the most widely accepted as Brittonic loans are in bold.
In extinct uses, seven main others are proposed, mainly by Andrew Breeze, seen in Old English. Though less controversial than others, some of the seven have been disputed:
funta: 'fountain, spring.' Latin fontana and Church Latin (still used) font loaned into Brittonic and borrowed from either/both into Old English. Used in nine sets of settlements across counties west of London and east of Gillingham, Dorset: (Bedfont, (the) Chalfont(s), Mottisfont, Fonthill Bishop, Fontmell Magna, Fontwell, Teffont and Urchfont). Phrase the 'fount of all wisdom/knowledge' is cognate, seen to endure as a shorthand, poetic form of fountain.
luh: 'pool', in use in the Northumbrian dialect of Old English. The modern English cognate, 'loch', is taken from Scottish Gaelic.
milpæþ: 'army road', the first element of which is possibly from the Brittonic ancestor of Welsh mil 'thousand, army'.
prass: 'pomp, array', perhaps from the Brittonic ancestor of Welsh pres 'soldiers in array'.
stor: 'incense, wax'. However, the Oxford English Dictionary regards it as a Latin loan.
toroc: 'bung.' Highly disputed. Possibly not even an English wordâÂÂor an English word but not of Celtic origin.
wassenas: 'retainers', possibly from Brittonic.
See also
References
External links