List of Spanish words of Celtic origin


This is a list of Spanish words of Celtic origin. It is further divided into words that are known to have come from 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:
From French:
From Italian:
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 a'bedul is by the influence of Spanish abeto "fir tree.
  • álamo "white poplar"
  • alondra "lark" from gaulish alauda
  • alosa "shad"
  • ambuesta
  • amelga "plot of land marked for planting"
  • añicos "shards, smithereens"
  • arpende "arpent" from Latin arapennis "old measure"
  • banzo "cross-bar" from common Celtic wankios\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\

Inherited [Hispano-Celtic]

  • acarrear to cart, to transport: from ad- + carro + the verbal infinitive suffix -ar.
  • álamo "white poplar" ; akin to Irish leamhán "elm", Welsh llwyf, Cornish elow, Breton evlec'h "elm"
  • alondra "lark", from Gaulish alauda "crest lark", derivative of *ala "swan", akin to Irish eala and Welsh alarch
  • ambuesta,, from Gaulish ambostā "hands together"; akin to Old Irish imbas
  • amelga, 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", 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", from *wankio "bar, beam"; akin to Irish féige "ridgepole"
  • baranda "railing, balustrade", from *varandā, from *rannā "part, portion"; Welsh rhan, Cornish/Breton rann, Irish roinn
  • beleño "henbane", from belenion ; akin to Welsh bela "henbane", Old Irish béal "sun"
  • belga "of Belgium, a Belgian": from Latin Belga, singular of Belgae, from Gaulish Belgae, possibly meaning "the threatening, the swollen," the IE root *bʰel-ǵʰ-, enlargement of *bʰel- "to swell"; akin to Old Irish bolgaid '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", 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, from *bertium "load"; akin to Irish/Scottish beárt "load", bertaim "to rock"
  • bezo "big lip, lip blubber", 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 "pruning hook", from *vidubion ; 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, genitive brig "mountain", Scottish breaghe "fortified hill", Welsh bre "hill", bryn "id", Cornish bre, brenn "hill", Breton bre "hill", bern "brooch, prickles"
  • brezo "heather", from OSp bruezo, from *brocceus, from brūcus, from HispCelt *vroicos; akin to Welsh/Cornish grug, Middle Breton groegan, Old Irish froích, fróech, Irish fraoch. Similarly, Catalan bruc, Occitan bruga, Milanese brüg < *brūca.
  • bruja "witch", 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", from Celtiberian boustom "byre, cowshed" and aro "field"
  • camba "standard, sheth ", cambija "water tower", 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 load, to charge, to charge with a crime, to carry: from Late Latin carricare "to load," from carrus, see carro below.
  • carril= a highway lane: from carro, see carro below.
  • carro= cart, cartload, car, streetcar, coach: from Latin carrus from Gaulish carros, from the IE root kers- "to run".
  • centollo "spider crab", 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", from *colmēnā "made from straw", from *colmos "straw" ; akin to Breton kolo "stalk"
  • combleza "mistress, home-wrecker", 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" ; 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", older queresa "maggot", from *carisia "decay"; akin to Old Irish doro-chair "to fall", Irish torchair, Scottish torchuir
  • duerna "trough", from *durnos "hand"; akin to Irish dorn, Welsh dwrn, Breton dourn
  • engorar "to addle", in OSp "to brood" ; akin to Old Irish gorid 'to warm', Welsh/Cornish gori 'to brood, sit ', Breton goriñ
  • galga "large stone", from *gallicā, from *gallos; akin to Old Irish gall 'stone pillar', gallán 'standing stone'
  • gancho "hook", 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", 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, from *grennos; akin to Old Irish grend "beard", Irish greann, Welsh grann "eyelid", Breton gourenn
  • gubia "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"
  • legua "league", from Late Latin leucas; akin to Old Irish líe "stone", Irish liag
  • lía "dregs, lees", légamo "slime, mud", 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', from Gaulish *mandos
  • mina "mine", from *mēna, from *meina "ore"; akin to Welsh mwyn "ore", Cornish moen, Irish míanach
  • páramo "moor", attested as parami, from *par- + -amus.
  • pinzón "finch" from Gaulish pinciō; akin to Welsh pinc, Breton pint
  • quejigo "Portuguese oak", from earlier cajigo, from Asturian caxigu, from *cass- + -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", 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", 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, from Gaulish *sōca; akin to Welsh/Cornish syg "chain", Breton sug "harness trace", Irish suag "rope", Scottish sùgan "straw rope"
  • taladro, 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", from OSp texón, from Gaulish *taskios; akin to Old Irish Tadg "badger", Scottish taghan "marten", Old Welsh Teuhuant
  • terco "stubborn", from *tercos; akin to Middle Irish terc, Welsh taerc 'miserly, scarce'
  • tollo "mire, muddy place", 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', whence French tonne 'tun' ', tonneau 'barrel'.
  • tranca "club, cudgel", from *tarinca; akin to Old Irish tairinge "iron nail, tine", Irish tairne "metal nail", Scottish tairnge "nail"
  • truhán "jester, baffoon" ; akin to Old Irish tróg "miserable", Irish trogha, Scottish truagh, Welsh tru "wretched", Breton truc "beggar", Cornish troc "miser; wretched"
  • varga, from barga ; akin to Middle Irish barc "fort; woodhouse"
  • yezgo, yiezgo "elder", from older yedgo, iedgo, from *edecus, alteration of Gaulish odecus, odicus, which was also loaned into German Attich "dwarf elder, danewort", Old Saxon aduk, Dutch hadik.

Loanwords