Talk:bàs

Etymology

While MacBain's Etymological Dictionary of the Gaelic Language is a fascinating book (I have a copy) it's not a very reliable or up-to-date source for etymology. It's often highly speculative and although the Gairm (photolitho) reprint was done in 1982, it's a reprint of the 1911 revision of the 1896 original.

I've updated with what seems like the current thinking (Zeitschrift für celtische Philologie. Volume 53, Issue 1, Page 100, ISSN (Print) 0084-5302, 30 April 2003).

Previous etymology

Celtic root bā, ba, hit, slay, whence Gaulish Latin batuere (English battls, etc.); Anglo-Saxon beadu, war.

An Etymological Dictionary of the Gaelic Language, Alexander MacBain, Gairm Publications, 1982

☸ Moilleadóir ☎ 17:06, 9 May 2009 (UTC)