druid

See also: Druid

English

Etymology

Borrowed from French druide, from Old French, via Latin Druidae, from Gaulish *druwits, from Proto-Celtic *druwits (literally “oak-knower”), from Proto-Indo-European *dóru (“tree”) and *weyd- (“to see”).

The earliest record of the term in Latin is in Julius Caesar in the first century B.C. in his De Bello Gallico. The native Celtic word for "druid" is first attested in Latin texts as druides (plural) and other texts also employ the form druidae (akin to the Greek form). Cognate with the later insular Celtic words, Old Irish druí (“druid, sorcerer”) and early Welsh dryw (“seer”).

Pronunciation

• (UK) IPA^(key): /ˈdɹuː.ɪd/

• Audio (US)

  (file)

• Rhymes: -uːɪd

Noun

druid (plural druids)

1. One of an order of priests among certain groups of Celts before the adoption of Abrahamic religions.

Usage notes

• Often capitalized: Druid.

Derived terms

• druidic
• druidism

Translations

an order of priests

• Armenian: դրուիդ (hy) (druid)
• Breton: drouiz (br)
• Catalan: druida m
• Chinese:

  Mandarin: 德魯伊, 德鲁伊 (délǔyī)

• Cornish: drewydh
• Esperanto: druido
• Estonian: druiidi
• Finnish: druidi (fi)
• French: druide (fr) m
• German: Druide (de) m
• Hungarian: druida (hu)
• Ido: druido (io)
• Irish: draoi m
• Italian: druida m, f, (uncommon) druido m

• Japanese: ドルイド (doruido)
• Latin: druias m
• Macedonian: дру́ид m (drúid)
• Maori: ruiti
• Norwegian: druide m
• Old English: drȳ m
• Polish: druid m, druidka f
• Portuguese: druida (pt) m
• Romanian: druid (ro) m
• Russian: друи́д (ru) m (druíd)
• Scottish Gaelic: draoidh m
• Spanish: druida (es) m
• Swedish: druid (sv)
• Walloon: drude (wa) m
• Welsh: derwydd m

---

Irish

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /d̪ˠɾˠɪdʲ/

Etymology 1

From Old Irish truit f (“starling”), from Proto-Celtic *trozdi-, from Proto-Indo-European *trozdo- (“thrush”); compare Latin turdus, German Drossel, and English thrush.

Noun

druid f (genitive singular druide, nominative plural druideanna)

1. starling

Declension

Declension of druid

Second declension

Bare forms Case Singular Plural Nominative druid druideanna Vocative a dhruid a dhruideanna Genitive druide druideanna Dative druid druideanna

Forms with the definite article Case Singular Plural Nominative an druid na druideanna Genitive na druide na ndruideanna Dative leis an druid don druid leis na druideanna

Alternative forms

• druideog f

Etymology 2

From Old Irish druitid (“shuts, closes; moves close (to), presses (against); approaches; moves away from, abandons”), possibly related to Welsh drws (“door”).

Verb

druid (present analytic druideann, future analytic druidfidh, verbal noun druidim, past participle druidte)

1. (Ulster) close, shut
2. move relative to something
   1. (with le) move close to, draw near, approach
   2. (with ar) close upon
   3. (with ó) move away from

Conjugation

First Conjugation (A)

		singular			plural			relative	autonomous
		first	second	third	first	second	third
indicative	present	druidim	druideann tú; druidir†	druideann sé, sí	druidimid	druideann sibh	druideann siad; druidid†	a dhruideann; a dhruideas / a ndruideann*; a ndruideas*	druidtear
	past	dhruid mé; dhruideas	dhruid tú; dhruidis	dhruid sé, sí	dhruideamar; dhruid muid	dhruid sibh; dhruideabhair	dhruid siad; dhruideadar	a dhruid / ar dhruid*	druideadh
	past habitual	dhruidinn	dhruidteá	dhruideadh sé, sí	dhruidimis; dhruideadh muid	dhruideadh sibh	dhruididís; dhruideadh siad	a dhruideadh / ar dhruideadh*	dhruidtí
	future	druidfidh mé; druidfead	druidfidh tú; druidfir†	druidfidh sé, sí	druidfimid; druidfidh muid	druidfidh sibh	druidfidh siad; druidfid†	a dhruidfidh; a dhruidfeas / a ndruidfidh*; a ndruidfeas*	druidfear
conditional		dhruidfinn	dhruidfeá	dhruidfeadh sé, sí	dhruidfimis; dhruidfeadh muid	dhruidfeadh sibh	dhruidfidís; dhruidfeadh siad	a dhruidfeadh / ar dhruidfeadh*	dhruidfí
subjunctive	present	go ndruide mé; go ndruidead†	go ndruide tú; go ndruidir†	go ndruide sé, sí	go ndruidimid; go ndruide muid	go ndruide sibh	go ndruide siad; go ndruidid†	—	go ndruidtear
	past	dá ndruidinn	dá ndruidteá	dá ndruideadh sé, sí	dá ndruidimis; dá ndruideadh muid	dá ndruideadh sibh	dá ndruididís; dá ndruideadh siad	—	dá ndruidtí
imperative		druidim	druid	druideadh sé, sí	druidimis	druidigí; druididh†	druididís	—	druidtear
verbal noun		druidim
past participle		druidte

* Indirect relative
† Archaic or dialect form

Etymology 3

Noun

druid m

1. genitive singular of drud

Mutation

Irish mutation
Radical	Lenition	Eclipsis
druid	dhruid	ndruid
Note: Some of these forms may be hypothetical. Not every possible mutated form of every word actually occurs.

References

• "druid" in Foclóir Gaeilge-Béarla, An Gúm, 1977, by Niall Ó Dónaill.
• “truit” in Dictionary of the Irish Language, Royal Irish Academy, 1913–76.
• “druitid” in Dictionary of the Irish Language, Royal Irish Academy, 1913–76.

---

Polish

Etymology

From Gaulish *druwits, from Proto-Celtic *druwits (literally “oak-knower”), from Proto-Indo-European *dóru (“tree”) and *weyd- (“to see”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈdru.it/

• audio

  (file)

Noun

druid m pers (feminine druidka)

1. druid

Declension

declension of druid

	singular	plural
nominative	druid	druidzi
genitive	druida	druidów
dative	druidowi	druidom
accusative	druida	druidów
instrumental	druidem	druidami
locative	druidzie	druidach
vocative	druidzie	druidzi

Further reading

• druid in Polish dictionaries at PWN

---

Scottish Gaelic

Etymology 1

From Old Irish truit f (“starling”), from Proto-Celtic *trozdi-, from Proto-Indo-European *trozdo- (“thrush”).

Noun

druid f (genitive singular druide, plural druidean)

1. starling

Etymology 2

From Old Irish druitid (“shuts, closes; moves close (to), presses (against); approaches; moves away from, abandons”), possibly related to Welsh drws (“door”).

Verb

druid (past dhruid, future druididh, verbal noun druideadh, past participle druidte)

1. shut closely
2. cover
3. enclose, surround
4. advance, come up
5. join
6. hasten
7. step toward
8. approach, draw near

Alternative forms

• truid

Mutation

Scottish Gaelic mutation
Radical	Lenition
druid	dhruid
Note: Some of these forms may be hypothetical. Not every possible mutated form of every word actually occurs.

References

• Faclair Gàidhlig Dwelly Air Loidhne, Dwelly, Edward (1911), Faclair Gàidhlig gu Beurla le Dealbhan/The Illustrated [Scottish] Gaelic-English Dictionary (10th ed.), Edinburgh: Birlinn Limited, →ISBN
• “truit” in Dictionary of the Irish Language, Royal Irish Academy, 1913–76.
• “druitid” in Dictionary of the Irish Language, Royal Irish Academy, 1913–76.