ceinach

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Welsh[edit]

Etymology[edit]

From *cein +‎ -ach,[1] derived from an otherwise unattested Proto-Celtic *kasnī,[2] from Proto-Indo-European *ḱh₂s-n-. Cognates include Old Prussian sasnis (hare), Pashto سوی (soe, hare), Sanskrit शश (śaśa, hare), Proto-Germanic *hasô (hare) (whence English hare), Latin cānus (white), cascus (old).

Related to Welsh cannu (to whiten). Thus ceinach originally meant "(the) grey/white one".[3]

Likely unrelated to Latin cuniculus (rabbit) and all its derivations.

Pronunciation[edit]

Noun[edit]

ceinach f (plural ceinachod or ceinych)

  1. (archaic) hare
    Synonym: ysgyfarnog

Mutation[edit]

Welsh mutation
radical soft nasal aspirate
ceinach geinach ngheinach cheinach
Note: Some of these forms may be hypothetical. Not every possible mutated form of every word actually occurs.

References[edit]

  1. ^ R. J. Thomas, G. A. Bevan, P. J. Donovan, A. Hawke et al., editors (1950–present), “ceinach”, in Geiriadur Prifysgol Cymru Online (in Welsh), University of Wales Centre for Advanced Welsh & Celtic Studies
  2. ^ Matasović, Ranko (2009) “kasni-”, in Etymological Dictionary of Proto-Celtic (Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series; 9), Leiden: Brill, →ISBN, page 192
  3. ^ https://www.academia.edu/428962/Against_a_Proto-Indo-European_phoneme_a