MacBain's Dictionary - Section 4
- biorach
- a heifer, colt, Irish biorach, cow-calf:
- bioras
- water-lily; same origin as biolar, q.v.
- biorg
- gush, twich, tingle; from the roots of
biolar (bior-) and
bior.
- biorraid
- a helmet, cap, Irish birreud, cap; from English biretta, from
Late Latin birretum.
- biorsadh
- a keen impatience: "groading"; from
bior.
- biorsamaid
- a balance; from Scottish bismar, Norse bismari.
- bior-snaois
- bowsprit of a sailing boat (N. Lochaber), forepart of
vessel:
- biota
- a churn, vessel; from Norse bytta, a pail, tub, Anglo-Saxon bytt,
Latin buttis, English butt.
- biotailt
- victuals,
Early Irish bitáill, Welsh bitel,
Middle Breton bitaill; from
Old French
vitaille, from Latin victualia. English victuals is from the French.
- birlinn
- a galley, bark,
Middle Irish beirling; formed from the Norse
byrðingr, a ship of burthen, from byrðr, burden, vb. bera,
English bear. The Scottish bierling, birlinn is from the Gaelic. Cf.
feòirlig=fjórðungr.
- birtich
- stir up; from
bior, goad.
- biseach
- luck;
See piseach.
- bith
- the world, existence, Irish,
Old Irish bith, Welsh byd, Breton bed, Gaulish
bitu-, *bitu-s; root
bi, bei, live, Indo-European @gei, @gi, whence Latin
vivo, English be, etc.
Hence
beatha,
beò,
biadh, q.v.
- bith
- being (inf. of
bì, be), Irish,
Early Irish
beith,
Old Irish buith. The
Old Irish
is from the root bhu (English be, Latin fui) = *buti-s,
Greek
@Gfúsis.
The forms
bith and
beith, if derived from bhu, have been
influenced by
bith, world, existence; but it is possible that
they are of the same root @gi as
bith. Stokes, in his treatise
on the Neo-Celtic Verb Substantive, takes
bith and
beith from
the root ga, go,
Greek básis (English base), a root to which he
still refers the
Old Irish aorist bá, fui (see bu).
- bìth
- resin, gum, birdlime, Irish
bigh,
Old Irish bí, pix, adj. bíde, *geis-,
a longer form of gis-, the root of
giuthas, fir (Schräder).
Otherwise we must regard it as borrowed from Latin pix, picis,
whence Welsh pyg, English pitch, against which b and í (
i long)
militate.
- bìth
- quiet (Arms.):
- bith-
- prefix denoting "ever", Irish,
Old Irish bith-, Welsh byth-; from
bith, world.
- biùc
- difficult utterance:
- biùthaidh
- foe, Irish bíodhbha,
Early Irish,
Old Irish bidbe, bidbid (gen.),
culprit, enemy.
- biùthas
- fame, biùthaidh, hero;
See fiù, fiùbhaidh.
- blabaran
- stammerer, Irish blabarán, from the English blabber, speak
inarticulately. It is of onomatopetic origin. Cf. English
babble.
- bladair
- a wide mouth, a flatterer, Irish bladaire, flatterer; from
the English blatterer, bletherer, blusterer, blatter, prate; from
Latin blaterare, prate. Also blad a wide mouth (M`F.).
- bladh
- fame, Irish bládh,
Early Irish blad; root blad-, blat-, speak, as in
Latin blatero, babble, Norse blaðr, nonsense, Scottish blether.
See bladair. Cf.
glaodh, shout.
Hence bladhair, expressive,
a boaster.
- bladhair
- strong, from bladh, pith, Welsh blawdd, active; *blâd-;
root bla@-, swell, bloom, as in
blàth, q.v.
- bladhm
- a boast, etc.;
See blaomadh.
- blad-shronach,
blad-spàgach
- flat-nosed, flat-footed; blad- is from
English flat.
- blaisbheum
- blasphemy; from Latin blasphemia, English blasphemy.
- blanndaidh
- rotten, stale; from Norse blanda, whey "blend".
- blanndar
- flattery, dissimulation, so Irish; from Latin blandiri,
Scottish blander, English blandish.
- ++blaodh
- a shout, noise, Irish blaodh,
Middle Irish blaeded, Welsh bloedd.
Hence blaodhag, noisy girl, boaghan, calf's cry, etc.
- blaomadh
- loud talking, Irish blaodhmanach, noisy person; from
*blaid-s-men;
See ++blaodh.
- ++blaosg
- a shell, Irish blaosc,
Middle Irish blaesc, testa, Welsh blisg;
See plaosg.
- blàr
- a field, battle, peat-moss; from blàr, spotted, the idea being
a "spot".
See blàr.
- blàr
- having a white face, or white spot on the face (of an animal);
bla@-ro-s, root bla@-, from Indo-European bhale, shine, bha@-;
Greek
@Gfalorós
(second
@G
a long), having a white patch (on the head, as on a
dog's head). Cf. Dutch blaar, a white spot on the forehead
(Whence French blaireau, badger),
Middle Dutch blaer, bald.
See for roots bealltuinn,
bàn. Welsh has blawr, grey, iron-grey,
which seems allied. This word enters largely into Pictish
topography. It is not so used in Argyle (M`K.) nor in Ireland.
- blas
- taste, Irish blas,
Old Irish mlas, Welsh blâs, Breton blas, *mlasto-;
mlasti, lick, be sweet-toothed, Russ. molsati@u,
suck (Bezzenberger).
Ultimately the root seems to be mel, as in meli-,
honey, Gaelic mil,
and even meil, grind. Hence French blasé?
- blas-bheumnaich
- blaspheme (Hend.).
See blaisbheum.
- blàth
- bloom, blossom, Irish,
Early Irish blàth, Welsh blawd, blodau, Cornish
blodon,
Middle Breton bleuzenn, *blâto-n;
Indo-European root blela: bhlo,
blossom forth; Latin flo@-s, flower; English bloom, etc.
- blàth
- warm, kind, Irish,
Early Irish bláith, soft, smooth, mláith, *mlâti;
root mela, mlâ, to grind. The original idea is "ground soft".
Cf. Welsh blawd, meal.
- blàthach
- buttermilk, Irish,
Middle Irish bláthach; bla@--tac-, root mel, mlâ,
as in
blàth. The idea is "pounded, soured". Cf.
braich,
from mrac-, "soured", and English malt, "soured", from melt.
Hence Scottish bladach.
- bleachdair
- a soothing, flattering fellow, Irish bleachdaire, flatterer,
cow-milker; a metaphoric use of blàthach,
"cow-milker", from
bliochd, milk, q.v.
- bleagh
- milk (vb.), Irish blighim;
See bleoghainn.
- bleaghan
- a dibble for digging up shell-fish, a worthless tool;
- bleid
- impertinence, solicitation, Irish bleid, cajolery, impertinence.
This seems another word formed on the word
bladair, blad,
just like English blatant, blate (talk, prate).
- bleideir
- coward; from Norse bleyði, cowardice, and Scottish blate(?).
- bleith
- grind, Irish bleithim,
Early Irish bleith, inf. to
Old Irish melim, I
grind, Welsh malu, Breton malaff; root mel, grind, Latin molo, English
meal, etc.
- bleoghainn
- milking,
Early Irish blegon, inf. to bligim, mligim; Latin
mulgeo;
Greek
@Ga@'-mélgw; English milk; Lithuanian mélz@?u.
- bliadhna
- year, Irish bliadhain,
Old Irish bliadain, Welsh blydd, blwyddyn,
Breton bloaz, blizen, *bleidni-, *bleido-; Indo-European @ghleidh, whence
English glide: "labuntur anni" (Stokes). It is doubtful if
Indo-European @gh becomes Celtic b.
- blialum
- jargon; from the Scottish blellum.
- blian
- the flank, groin, Irish bléin,
Early Irish blén,
Old Irish melen, for mleen,
*mlakno-;
Greek
@Gmalakós, soft (Strachan, Stokes). The meaning,
if not the phonetics, is not quite satisfactory.
- blian
- lean, insipid, blianach, lean flesh; cf. Welsh blin, tired,
Old Breton
blinion, inertes. These may be referred to *@gleghno-, Lithuanian
glez@?nus, tender, weak,
Greek
@Gblchrós, languid. See, however,
the derivation suggested for blian, above.
For the Brittonic
words, Stokes has suggested the stem blêno-; Sanskrit glána,
tired.
- bligh
- milk;
See bleagh.
- bliochan
- yellow marsh, asphodel, Irish bliochan; from *blioch =
*melgos-, milk. For phonetics, cf.
teach, from tegos-.
- bliochd
- milk, Irish bleachd,
Early Irish blicht, Welsh blith, *ml@.ctu-, root
melg, milk.
See bleoghainn.
- blìonadh
- basking (Islands): "softening"?
See blian.
- bliosan
- artichoke
(
Sh.,
O'Br.,
O'R.),
Irish bliosán: *blig-s-a@-n-, "milk-curdler"?
Its florets were used for curdling.
- blob
- blubber-lipped (Sh.); from
English blub, puffed, protruding,
blubber, etc.
- blocan
- a little block, blog, block (Dialectic),
Irish bloc, blocán; from
English block.
- bloigh
- fragment, half, Irish blogh, blógh, fragment,
Early Irish blog, pre-Celtic
bhlog; English block, further away English balk, Greek
@Gfálagx. Stokes refers it to the root of English pluck.
(St.
now English blough, German pflug).
- bloinigein
- any plant with crisped leaves, Irish bloinigain
(O'R.);
Gaelic and Irish bloinigean gàrraidh is "spinage". Cameron
refers the word to
blonag, fat.
- blomas
- ostentation
(Sh.). Irish blomas;
See bladhm. Irish blamaire,
means "boaster".
- blonag
- fat, Irish blonóg, blainic, blunag,
Middle Irish blonac, Welsh bloneg, Breton
blonek, *blon-, *blen-, root bhle, bhel, swell; a very prolific
root. Rhys says Welsh is borrowed. R.C.@+17 102
- ++blosg
- sound a horn, Irish blosgaidhim, resound, sound a horn,
Middle Irish blosc, voice; Welsh bloedd, a shout, from *blogðo-, for
bloðgo-; cf.
mèag, Welsh maidd. Zeit@+34 502.
Cf.
Greek
@Gfloi@nsbos,
din (=
@Gflos-gos), Lithuanian blázgu, roar.
- bó
- a cow, Irish,
Old Irish bó, Welsh buw,
Old Breton bou-, *bov-s; Indo-European @gôus,
whence Latin bos,
Greek
@Gbou@ns, English cow, Sanskrit go.
- boban,
bobug
- a term of affection for a boy; cf. Middle Irish
boban, calf,
bóban, from
bó. English babe, earlier, baban, of uncertain origin,
may be compared.
- boc
- a buck, Irish boc, he-goat,
Old Irish bocc, Welsh bwch, Cornish boch, Breton
bouc'h, *bukko-s; Sanskrit bukka, goat. These may be analysed
into bug-ko-, root bug, Zend. bûza, buck,
Armenian buc, lamb, English
buck, German bock.
- bòc
- swell, Irish bócaim;
cf. Welsh boch, cheek, from Latin bucca, puffed
cheek (English debouch, rebuke).
- bòcan
- hobgoblin, Irish bocán,
Early Irish boccánach. With these are
connected Welsh bwg (bwci, Cornish bucca,
borrowed from Middle English?),
English bug, bugbear, bogie; the relationship is not clear (Murray).
For Gadelic a stem bukko-, from bug-ko-, would do, allied
possibly to Norse púki, a Puck, Anglo-Saxon puca,
larbula. boc-sithe,
apparition, ghost (Perth: Wh.).
- bochail
- proud, nimble; cf. the interjection ++boch
Irish boch, heyday! "O festum diem".
- bochuin
- swelling, the sea
(Carm.), boch-thonn
(H.S.D.):
- bochd
- poor, so Irish,
Old Irish bocht; *bog-to-, a participle from the vb.
(Irish) bongaim, break, reap, Celtic bongô, break; Sanskrit bhanj,
break, Lithuanian banga, breaker (wave).
See buain.
- bocsa
- a box, so Irish, pronounced in Irish bosca also, Welsh bocys; from
English box. Hence bocsaid, a thump, English box.
- bodach
- an old man, a carle, Irish bodach, a rustic, carle; *bodd-aco-,
"pe@-nitus", from bod, mentula,
Middle Gaelic bod
(Dean of Lismore
passim),
Middle Irish bod,
bot, *boddo-, *bozdo-;
Greek
@Gpósqc, mentula.
Stokes suggests the alternative form butto-s,
Greek
@Gbúttos,
vulva, but the Gaelic d is against this. He also suggests that
bodach is formed on the
Old French botte, a clod.
- bodha
- a rock over which waves break; from Norse boði, a
breaker, over sunken rocks especially.
- bòdhag
- a sea-lark.
- bodhaig
- body, corpus; from the Scottish bouk, body, trunk, Norse
búkr, trunk, German bauch, belly. The Gaelic word has been compared
by Fick with English body, Anglo-Saxon bodig, and Murray says it is
thence derived, but the d would scarcely disappear and leave
the soft g ending now so hard.
- bòdhan
- ham, breech, breast: *boud-@-no, *boud, bhud-; cf. English
butt, buttock.
- bodhar
- deaf, so Irish,
Old Irish bodar, Welsh byddar, Cornish bodhar, Breton
bouzar; Sanskrit badhirá.
- bodhbh,
bobh
- a fright (Perthshire),
Early Irish bodba, dangerous,
*bodv-io-s; from bodvo- in
baobh, q.v.
- bodht
- swampy ground:
- bog
- soft, Irish bog,
Old Irish bocc, Breton bouk,
Old Breton buc, putris; *boggo-,
*bug-go-; Indo-European bhu@g, bend, Sanskrit bhugna, bent, Gothic biugan,
English bow, from Anglo-Saxon boga.
- bogha
- a bow, so Irish,
Middle Irish boga; from Anglo-Saxon boga, English bow.
For root,
See under bog.
- bògus
- a timber moth, bug; from English bug, Scottish bo@-g.
- boicineach
- small-pox; root in bucaid, q.v.
- boicionn
- a goat skin, skin; *boc-cionn, "buck-skin"; the word
++cionn is in
Old Irish cenni, scamae, Welsh cen, skin, Cornish cennen,
Breton kenn-, pellis; English skinn, Norse skinn. -cionn, skin,
Norse hinna, film (Leiden) I.F.@+5A 127.
- bóid
- vow, Irish
móid,
Middle Irish móit, *monti-, root mon, men, think.
A borrowing from, or leaning on Latin vo@-tum seems possible
in view of the Gaelic form. Middle Irish in uóit; from
Latin vôtum,
as is also
móid (Stokes).
- bòidheach
- pretty; for buaidheach, "having virtues", from
buaidh, q.v.
- bòidheam
- flattery (H.S.D.):
- bòighear
- puffin, ducker; also budhaigir, q.v.
- boil,
boile
- madness, Irish buile,
Early Irish
baile:
- bòilich
- tall talk, boasting; cf. English bawl, cry like cows (
bó).
- boillsg
- gleam; *bolg-s-cio-; Latin fulgeo, shine, English effulgent,
Lithuanian
blizgù, glance, shine, English blink,
Indo-European bhleg, *fulgeo.
- boineid
- a bonnet, Irish boineud; from English bonnet.
- boinne
- a drop, Irish bain (d.pl bainnibh),
Old Irish banne, Cornish, Breton
banne; Celt. bannjâ (Stokes.
See bainne.
Hence boinneanta,
healthy, well-built.
- boirche
- a buffalo (
Sh.,
Lh.), so Irish; perhaps allied to Latin ferus,
English bear.
- boireal
- a small auger (M`F.); founded on English bore.
- boirche
- rising ground, bank (M`D.); same root as German berg,
mountain, English ice-berg.
- boirionn
- female, feminine, Irish bainionn, boinionn; *bani-, from
the word
bean,
ban-, q.v.
Hence biorionnach, a female, which
is masc. in gender, having been originally neuter. Cf.
doirionn for
doinionn (Arg.).
- bois
- the palm;
See bas.
- boiseag
- slap in the face, palmful, Irish,
Middle Irish boiseóg, buffet.
- boisg
- gleam;
boillsg.
- boiteadh
- boiled food for horses (H.S.D.), English bait:
- boiteag
- a maggot;
See botus.
- boitean
- a bundle of hay or straw; for boiteal, from Scottish buttle,
English bottle, bundle of hay, from
Old French botte.
- boitidh
- the call to pig, boit, a taste for (Dialectic):
- bòl
- a bowl; from the English.
- boladh
- smell, so Irish,
Old Irish bolad, *bulato-; Lithuanian bu'ls, dusty air
(Bezzenberger). Stokes has compared Lithuanian bulis, buttock,
Sanskrit buli, vulva.
- bolanta
- excellent; root bol, as in
adhbhal, q.v.
- bolla
- a boll; from Scottish, English boll. Hence also bolla, a buoy.
- bolt
- a welt, Irish balta, welt, border; from the Latin balteus, girdle,
English belt. Cf. English welt, Welsh gwald.
- boma
- a bomb; from the English.
- bonn
- foundation, so Irish,
Old Irish bond; Latin fundus; Sanskrit budhná;
English bottom.
- bonn
- a coin, so Irish; possibly from Latin pondo.
- bonnach
- cake, bannock, Irish boinneóg, oaten cake. This word, like
the Scottish, bannock, appears to be founded on Latin pa@-nicum,
pa@-nis, bread.
- bonnanach
- a strapping fellow (Mrs M`Ph.), bonnanaich, active
young men (Skye):
- borb
- fierce, so Irish,
Old Irish borp; allied to, or, more probably,
borrowed from, Latin barbarus.
- borbhan
- a purling sound; *borvo-, a stem identical with bervo-,
seethe, French Bourbon, Latin fervo, etc. Hence borbhanach,
base, deep.
- bòrc
- sprout, swell;
See bàrc.
- bòrc-lunn
- swell-wave (Hend.):
- bòrd
- a table, Irish,
Middle Irish, bord, Welsh bwrdd; from Anglo-Saxon, Norse
bord.
- bòrlanachd,
mòrlanachd
- compulsory labour for the proprietor;
from English bordland, as under
bòrlum. Hence M`Morland.
The cairiste, done for proprietor (M`K. and Carm.).
- bòrlum
- a strip of arable land (Hebridees); a frequent place namel
from Middle English bordland, mensal land, especially the royal
castle lands in the Highlands.
- bòrlum
- a sudden flux or vomiting, a flux;
for bòrc-lum;
See bòrc.
- ++borr
- knob, pride, greatness, great, Irish,
Early Irish borr, *borso-,
bhorso-; Latin fastus (for farstus), pride;
Old High German parrunga,
superbia; allied to bàrr, q.v.
Hence borrach, a haughty
man, a protruding bank, a mountain grass.
- bòsd
- a boast, Irish bóst
(O'R.),
Welsh, Cornish bost; all from English boast,
itself of unknown origin.
- bòsdan
- a little box, Breton bouist; the Gaelic is from early Scottish boyst,
Middle English boiste, from
Old French boiste, Medieval Latin buxida (bossida),
which is the
Greek
@Gpúxida. Hence also English box,
Gaelic bocsa.
- bosgaire
- applause (Sh.);
bas+
gaire, q.v. "palm-noise".
- bot
- a mound, river bank; cf. bught, botach, a reedy bog.
- bòt
- a boot; from Middle English bote, English boot. Also bòtuinn, from Scottish
booting, French bottine, half-boot.
- botaidh
- a wooden vessel (size, half anker); formed from Middle English
butte, English butt, French botte.
- both
- perturbation, a plash;
See bodhbh.
- both,
bothan
- a hut, bothie, Irish,
Middle Irish bothán,
both, Welsh
bod,
residence, Cornish
bod, bos, *buto-; Lithuanian bùtas, house;
English booth,
Norse búð, German bude; root bhu, be.
Hence English bothie.
- bothar
- a lane, street (A.M`D.),
Irish bothar (Con.), bóthar,
Early Irish
bóthar, *bâtro-, *bâtro-, root ba@-, go;
Greek
@Ge@'/bcn, went,
@Gbaínu,
go; Sanskrit gâ, go; English path.
- botrumaid
- a slattern, (M`F.);
See butrais.
- botul
- bottle, Irish buideul, Welsh potel; from English bottle.
- botunn
- (Lewis), deep water pool (in moors); Norse, botn.
- botus
- a belly-worm; from Middle English bottes, pl. of
bot, bott, of like
meaning; Scottish batts. Origin unknown (Murray).
- brà,
bràth
- a quern, Irish bró, g.
brón,
Early Irish bró, g. broon, mill-stone,
*brevon-, *bravon-; Sanskrit grâvan-; Lithuanian gìrnos; English quern.
- brabhd-chasach
- bow-legged.
- brabhdadh
- bravado, idle talk, brabhtalachd, haughtiness
(A.M`D."); from English bravado?
- bràc
- curve as of waves before breaking, a bellow, branch or deer-horn
(Carm.), reindeer
(Carm.):
- bracach
- grayish, braclach, brake:
See words in broc-ach, -lach.
- brachag
- pustule; from brach, rot (vb.);
See braich, malt.
Also brachan, putrefaction.
- bràchd
- putrescence, fat, rich.
- bradach
- thievish, braid, theft, Irish bradach, thievish, roguish,
Early Irish
broit, g. braite: *mraddo-, allied to
brath, betray?
Scarcely braom br@.-ont-, root bher, carry, Latin fur, etc.
- bradan
- salmon, Irish bradán,
Early Irish bratan. Cf. Lithuanian bradà, water,
Ch.Sl broz@?da@?, wade through.
- bradan
- a ridgy tumour on the surface of the body (H.S.D.);
metaphorically from bradan?
- bradhadair
- a blazing fire, kindling of a fire (Hebrides). Possibly
braghadair,
from bragh, q.v. Cf. braghadaich, crackling.
- brag
- (Lewis), a sudden creeking noise, Norse brak.
- bragaireachd
- vain boasting, Irish bragáireachd, from bragaire,
boaster; from the English
brag.
- bragh
- an explosion, peal,
Old Irish braigim, pedo; Latin fragor, crash,
fragare, English fragrant.
See bram.
- bràghad
- neck, throat, Irish bráighid,
Old Irish bráge, g. brágat, Welsh
breuant,
Old Breton brehant, *brâgn@.t-; English craw, German kragen,
collar,
Middle High German krage, neck;
Greek
@Gbróghos, windpipe, English
bronchitis. Bezzenberger
(Stokes' Dict.), refers it ot the root
of Norse barki, weazand,
Greek
@Gfárugx, English pharynx. bràghad
is really the gen. of
bràighe.
- bragsaidh
- braxy; from Scottish, English braxy.
- braich
- malt, so Irish,
Early Irish mraich, Welsh, Cornish
brag, Breton bragezi,
germinate,
Gaulish brace (Plin.), genus farris: *mraki; Lithuanian
mèrkti, macerate, márka, flax-hole for steeping; Latin marcere,
fade, marcidus, decayed, rotten. From Welsh bragod, comes
English bragget.
- braid
- theft;
See bradach.
- bràid
- horse-collar;
See bràighdeach.
- bràighde
- captives, pledges, Irish bráighe, pl. bráighde,
Early Irish braga,
g. bragat, hostage, prisoner, braig, a chain;
Greek
@Ggróhos,
noose; English crank, German kringel;
Indo-European @gregh, possibly allied
to Indo-European @gre@-gh, neck, as in brághad.
Hence braighdeanas,
captivity, also dialectic braigh, hostage, pledge.
- bràighdeach
- horse-collar,
Middle Irish braigdech, older bráigtech; from
bràghad. Also bràid.
- bràighe
- upper part (of places): this is the nom. case of
bràghad,
which also appears in place names, as Bra'id-Albainn, Braidalbane.
- braile
- a heavy rain (Sh.):
- braile,
braighlish
- a rattling noise (Perth). Scottish bruilze, French
brouille.
See braodhlach.
- brailis
- wort of ale, Irish braithlis,
Middle Irish braichlis, from
braich.
- braim,
bram
- crepitus ventris, Irish broim,
Old Irish braigim, pedo, Welsh,
Cornish, Breton bram, *bragsmen, root
brag, Indo-European bhrag; Latin
fragor, crash, fragrare, etc. Hence bramaire, a noisy fellow.
- braisleach
- full-formed, bulky man,
Middle Irish
bras, great, Welsh, Cornish,
Breton
bras, grossus, *brasso-; Latin grossus, French
gros, bulky.
- bràist
- a brooch; from the English
- braithlìn
- linen sheet, so Irish: *brath+lìn;
but
brath?
M`E.
suggests plài-linn.
- braman
- misadventure, the Devil; also dialectic broman. Middle Irish
bromán means a "boor", brománach, impertinent. The root
seems to be breg,
brog,
brag of
breun,
braim.
- bramasag
- a clott-burr, the prickly head of a thistle (H.S.D.):
- ++bran
- a raven, Irish,
Old Irish
bran, Welsh brân, crow, Breton
bran, crow;
*branâ, for gvranâ, with which cf.
Old Slavonic gavranu@u, raven,
but not vrana (do.), as is usually done. The further root is
@gra, @gera, cry, whence English crane,
Greek
@Ggéranos, crane, Welsh and
Cornish garan. Used much in personal and river names.
- bran
- bran, Irish, Welsh bran, Breton brenn; Gaelic, Irish, and Welsh are from English
bran, from
Old French bren, bran, whence Breton
- brang
- a slip of wood in the head-stall of a horse's halter, resting
on the jaw; horse's collar; brangas, a pillory; from the Scottish
branks, a head pillory (for tongue and mouth), a bridle with
two wooden side pieces, brank, to bridle; allied to German
pranger, pillory, Dutch prang, fetter.
- branndaidh
- brandy; from English brandy, that is "brand or burnt
wine".
- branndair
- a gridiron; from Scottish brander, from brand, burn, etc.
- braodag
- a huff (Hend.), also (Perth):
- braodhlach
- brawling, braoileadh, loud noise, Irish braóilleadh,
rattling; a borrowed word, seemingly from Scottish, English brawl,
confused with Scottish brulye, English broil.
- braoileag
- a whortleberry, Irish broileóg, breileóg.
Scottish brawlins,
brylocks, comes from the Gaelic.
- braoisg
- a grin, Irish braos:
- braolaid
- raving, dreaming; from breathal?
- braon
- a drop, rain, so Irish,
Old Irish broen; cf. English brine. The
attempt to connect it with
Greek
@Gbréhw, or with Latin rigare,
English rain, is unsatisfactory. Stokes derives it from root
ver (see fearthuinn), *vroen, but unlikely.
- braonan,
praonan
- an earth-nut, bunium flexuosum. Perhaps
from
braon, a drop - "a bead, nut".
- bras,
brais
- active, rash, Irish
bras,
Early Irish
bras, Welsh brys, haste:
*br@.sto-, Indo-European @gredh-,
as in greas, q.v.?
See also brisg, active.
- brasailt
- a panegyric (M`A.); Early Irish bras-scélach, panegyrical;
from
Old Irish
bras, great, Welsh and Breton
bras; cf. Latin grossus,
English gross.
See braisleach.
- brat
- a mantle, Irish brat,
Old Irish bratt, Welsh brethyn, woolen cloth, Breton
broz, petticoat, *bratto-, *brat-to-. For root brat, brant,
See bréid.
Anglo-Saxon bratt, pallium, is borrowed from the Celtic.
Hence bratach, flag.
- bratag
- the furry or grass caterpillar, Irish bratóg, "the mantled
one", from
brat. Cf. caterpillar = "downy cat", by derivation.
- brath
- information, betrayal, Irish brath,
Early Irish brath, treason, and
mrath also, Welsh brad, treachery, Cornish
bras, Breton barat,
Old Breton
brat, *mrato-;
Greek
@Ga@`martánw(
@G-mart-), sin, miss,
@Ge@'/mbroton (past
tense). Cf.
mearachd. Middle Irish mairned, treachery.
- bràth
- judgement, gu bràth, for ever
(pron. gu bràch) "till Judgment",
so Irish,
Old Irish bráth, judgment, Welsh brawd,
Middle Breton breut,
Gaulish bratu-, *brâtu-; *brâ, *bera, judge, decide,
from Indo-European
bher, in the sense of "say", as in
abair. The Irish barn, judge,
and Welsh barn, judgment, are hence, and may be compared
to
Greek
@Gfrc/n,
@Gfrc/nes, soul, phrenology.
Hence also breath, or
breith *br@.t-, q.v. The sense "conflagration" given in the
Dict. is due to "Druidic" theorisings, and is imaginary.
- bràthair
- brother, Irish bráthair,
Old Irish bráthir, Welsh brawd, pl. brodyr,
Cornish broder, pl. bredereth, Breton breur, breuzr, pl. breudeur,
*brâtêr; Latin frâter; English brother;
Sanskrit bhra@-/ta; etc.
- breab
- a kick, Irish preab,
Middle Irish prebach, kicking; perhaps from the
root form of breaban.
- breaban
- a patch of leather, Irish preabán, parcel, piece, patch;
from, or allied to,
Old French bribe, a piece of bread, alms, Sp.
briba, alms; also
Old French bribeur, mendicant, briberesse, female
vagabondage and harloting; cf. Irish preabóg, a wenching jade
(O'Br.). English bribe is from the French.
jtm