The role of gaelic in the formation of English

To quote :

"...... the very social stigma that suppressed the use of Celtic language is the same stigma that prevents us learning the full extent of the influence those languages have had on English....."

Source (excellent essay) :

http://www.chass.utoronto.ca/~cpercy/courses/6361Lovis.htm

What are some Celtic words that have made it into English?

Gaelic Words in English

This is an interesting subject to me, so I checked around. The website above didn't show loads and loads of Gaelic words in English, but the most familiar were nouns and include cross, pet, trousers, whisky, pony.

Some of my favorites were hooligan, smidgen, blather, brisk and brat.

Great thread, Dream. Gonna lurk for a while.

Piffka, "brat"?

What????? You don't like that word?

Doncha think it's amazing there were brats way back when, and called such? I do!

Love that word, Piffka. Wonder if twerp is Gaelic?

Interestingly enough, 'bagel', a staple at the Jewish table actually descends from the Anglo-Saxon 'bagel' meaning ring, not Yiddish or Hebrew.

Ooooooo, should I check? I wonder where that came from... it's in my Oxford Colour Dictionary, but no etymology. Ahhh, in this website says TWERP was first seen in 1874.

http://www.etymonline.com/index.html

Disappointingly, this website also says BRAT originally meant a cloak, not a small rude child. <sigh>

pint..... :-)

Hahha. Pint is supposed to be from the same word as Picts and we all know how much I like the Picts.*


*or you do now

[size=7]don't let Setanta see that. [/size]

i knew you all wouldn't expect too much more out of me....

will 'nod' do...???

Good grief, I can't believe that "twerp" first appeared in the 1800's. So, brat means cloak, huh....my goodness.

Pint, Mikey? I thought that was what a hillbilly did when he "pinted" at something.

pint, punt, poont, pinted,,,,'ts all good no?

Heres some examples, the source website is :

http://www.chebucto.ns.ca/~ag371/Gaelic/faclan.htm

Gaelic Words in English
From the Gaelic-L Archives - various contributers


English Irish Gaelic Scots Gaelic Meaning of Gaelic
------- ------------ ------------ -----------------

airt aird aird points of the compass

banshee bean sí bean-sìthe woman of the fairy mound

bard bard bàrd poet (of a certain rank)

bog bog bog soft

brogue bróg bròg shoe, boot

bun bun bun base, bottom
("She says he has cute buns.")

caber cabar cabar pole, rafter
(as in "tossing the caber")

cairn carn càrn heap, pile

carrageenan carraigín carraigean Irish moss seaweed
(food thickener & emulsifier - check your yogurt ingredients)

cateran ceathairne peasantry

clan clann clann children, lineage

claymore claíomh mór claidheamh mór great sword

crag creig creag rocky outcrop

Colleen cailín (caileag) girl

dig, twig tuig tuig understand

dulse duileasc duileasg edible seaweed

galore go leor gu leòr plenty, enough

gillie giolla gille lad, servant

glen gleann gleann valley

glom glám glam grab, clutch
(as in "glom onto it")

keen caoin caoin weep, lament

kibosh caidhp báis cap of death
("put the kibosh on that plan")

loch loch loch lake

pet peata peata tame animal

phony fáinne fàinne ring (from the gilt brass ring
used by swindlers)

pibroch piobaireachd piping

pillion pillín pillean small pad, cushion

plaid pluid plaide blanket

poteen poitín little pot, moonshine

shamrock seamróg seamrag shamrock

shanty seantigh seann taigh old house

shebeen síbín illicit whiskey; speakeasy

shillelagh sail éille cudgel on a thong

slew slua sluagh host, multitude (as in 'I have
a slew of things to do')

slob slaba mud, ooze; slovenly person

slogan sluagh ghairm call to the multitude

smashing 's math sin that is good

smithereens smidiríní (smid) little bits

sporran sparán sporan purse

Tory tóraí tòraiche pursuer; robber; bandit

trouser triús triubhas trews; pants

whiskey uisce (beatha) uisge (beatha) water (of life)

Gael Gaedheal Gàidheal a speaker of Gaelic