Heart, in my words

craon : heart

The Fennas word for heart is craon. Craon is the name of several towns in France. Le Château de Craon is an 18th century French castle. Craon is an unusual last name.

How did I come up with this word? The Welsh word for heart is galon/calon; the Irish word for heart is croi; and the Breton word for heart is kalon.

The graphic shows a Celtic heart soap mold.

Foot, in my words

troc : foot

The Fennas word for foot is troc. Troc is an uncommon last name. The Troc can be short for The Trocadero Theatre in Philadelphia. Troc means barter in French.

How did I come up with this word? The Welsh word for foot is troed/droed; the Irish word for foot is cos; and the Breton word for foot is troad.

The foot graphic shown is a "Monty Python foot".

Hand, in my words

lofh : hand

The Fennas word for hand is lofh. Lofh is a rare last name.

How did I come up with this word? The Welsh word for hand is llaw; the Irish word for hand is lámh; and the Breton word for hand is dorn. In addition, the Cornish word for hand is leuv/leyf or dorn.

I've added the fh consonant combination, which will be pronounced like v, to use for Irish mh and bh.

Eye, in my words

syld : eye

The Fennas word for eye is syld. Syld is a rare last name. SYLD is the airport code for Linden, Guyana, in South America.

How did I come up with this word? The Welsh word for eye is llygad; the Irish word for eye is súil; and the Breton word for eye is lagad.

By the way, my eyes are the color of the eye shown in the graphic.

Horse, in my words

ceghal : horse

The Fennas word for horse is ceghal. Ceghal is a very rare last name.

How did I come up with this word? The Welsh word for horse is ceffyl; the Irish word for horse is capall; and the Breton word for horse is marc'h.

In case you wonder where the g in ceghal came from, c'h in Breton is not pronounced as ch in church, but as ch in loch (Scottish) or ach and mich (German). In Fennas, I use gh for that consonant sound.

House, in my words

tich : house

The Fennas word for house is tich. Tich is an uncommon last name. Little Tich (died 1928) was an English music hall comedian.

How did I come up with this word? The Welsh word for house is ty; the Irish word for house is teach; and the Breton word for house is ti.

The photo I found for this post shows a traditional Irish house with a reed roof.

Road, in my words

borth : road

The Fennas word for road is borth. Borth is a last name. Borth means portal in Welsh. Borth is the name of small towns in Wales, Germany and Wisconsin.

How did I come up with this word? The Welsh word for road is ffordd (note that DD in Welsh has the sound of voiced TH as in this or there); the Irish word for road is bóthar; and the Breton word for road is bord.

Valley, in my words

dalyn : valley

The Fennas word for valley is dalyn. Dalyn a unusual first name. Dalyn is an unusual last name.

How did I come up with this word? The Welsh word for valley is dyffryn, the Irish word for valley is gleann; and the Breton word for valley is saon. There are other words for valley, in addition to those I mention.

I made this word is similar to the English word dale, which is a term for a small valley.

Book, in my words

lefar : book

The Fennas word for book is lefar. Lefar is an unusual last name. LEFAR is an unsigned Hip Hop / House / Soul musician.

How did I come up with this word? The Welsh word for book is llyfr; the Breton word for book is levr; and the Irish word for book is leabhar.

This is a new word, not a revision.

Ten, in my words

degh : ten

The Fennas word for ten is degh. Degh is a rare last name. Degh is an Armenian alternative rock band. Degh Diversion Canal in the Punjab area of Pakistan.

How did I come up with this word? The Welsh word for ten is deg; the Breton word for ten is dek; and the Irish word for ten is deich.

My previous Fennas word for ten was dec.

Nine, in my words

nau : nine

The Fennas word for nine is nau. Nau is a last name. Nau means ship in Catalan. NAU is an acronym for Northern Arizona University. Nau is the name of places in Tajikistan, France, Haiti, Pakistan, Uzbekistan and Norway.

How did I come up with this word? The Welsh word for nine is naw; the Breton word for nine is nav; and the Irish word for nine is naoi.

My previous Fennas word for nine was nagh.

Eight, in my words

eoth : eight

The Fennas word for eight is eoth. Eoth is a rare last name. EOTH is an acronym for Escalator over the Hill, a jazz opera.

How did I come up with this word? The Welsh word for eight is with/wyth; the Breton word for eight is eizh; and the Irish word for eight is ocht.

My previous Fennas word for eight was orith.

Seven, in my words

seith : seven

The Fennas word for seven is seith. Seith is a last name. Seith is an rare masculine first name. Seith is an archaic English form of say.

How did I come up with this word? The Welsh word for seven is saith; the Breton word for seven is seizh; and the Irish word for seven is seacht.

My previous Fennas word for seven was saest.

Six, in my words

chae : six

The Fennas word for six is chae. Chae is a last name that can be Korean. Chaé Organics of Colorado sells skin and body products. Khao chae is a Thai flower-scented rice dish.

How did I come up with this word? The Welsh word for six is chwech; the Breton word for six is c'hwec'h; and the Irish word for six is sé.

My previous Fennas word for six was chea.

Five, in my words

cump : five

The Fennas word for five is cump. Cump is a last name. Union Civil War General William T. Sherman was known as Cump.

How did I come up with this word? The Welsh word for five is pump; the Breton word for five is pemp; and the Irish word for five is cúig.

My previous Fennas word for five was puim.

Four, in my words

pehar : four

The Fennas word for four is pehar. Pehar is an unusual last name. In Serbo-Croatian pehar means cup, goblet. Pehar is a city in Pakistan.

How did I come up with this word? The Welsh word for four is pedwar/pedair; the Breton word for four is pevar/peder; and the Irish word for four is ceathair.

My previous Fennas word for four was cair.

Three, in my words

teir : three

The Fennas word for three is teir. Teir is a last name. In Breton teir is the feminine form of three, tri is the masculine form. In Faroese teir means they.

How did I come up with this word? The Welsh word for three is tri/tair; the Breton word for three is tri/teir; and the Irish word for three is trí.

My previous Fennas word for three was teil.

Two, in my words

dho : two

The Fennas word for two is dho. Dho is a rare last name. DHO is the chemical formula for a species of Heavy water with one Hydrogen atom and one Deuterium atom.

How did I come up with this word? The Welsh word for two is dau/dwy, the Irish word for two is dhá/dó, and the Breton word for two is div/daou.

My previous Fennas word for two was daw.

One, in my words

uan : one

The Fennas word for one is uan. Uan is an unusual last name. In Irish and Scottish Gaelic uan means lamb. Uan is the name of cities in Ethiopia and Papua New Guinea.

How did I come up with this word? The Welsh word for one is un, the Irish word for one is aon, and the Breton word for one is unan.

My previous Fennas word for one was arn.

Dog, in my words

cia : dog

The Fennas word for dog is cia. Cia is an unusual feminine first name. Cia is an unusual last name. CIA is an acronym for the Central Intelligence Agency.

How did I come up with this word? The Welsh word for dog is ci, the Irish word for dog is madra, and the Breton word for dog is ki.

Previously my Fennas word for dog was cadri.

Cat, in my words

cath : cat

The Fennas word for cat is cath. Cath is a last name. Cath means battle in Irish and Scots Gaelic.

How did I come up with this word? The Welsh word for cat is cath, the Irish word for cat is cat(!), and the Breton word for cat is kazh.

Not much to play with here. I haven't been using the letters K or Z, as in the Breton word. Both the Welsh and the Breton words end in H, so I thought I would do that in Fennas. My word for cat ends up being the same as Welsh (and Cornish).

Gray, in my words

liat : gray

The Fennas word for gray is liat. Liat is an uncommon last name. Liat is an unusual feminine first name. LIAT is an acronym for Leeward Islands Air Transport.

How did I come up with this word? The Welsh word for gray is llwyd, the Irish word for gray is liath, and the Breton word for gray is louet.

My previous Fennas word for gray was leit. Not a big change.

Green, in my words

gwed : green

The Fennas word for green is gwed.

How did I come up with this word? The Welsh word for green is gwyrdd or glas, the Irish word for green is glas or uaine (vivid green), and the Breton word for green is glas or gwer (artifical green). It's interesting to note that glas is a very broad Celtic color term for a darker color, which also means blue and sometimes gray.

Previously my Fennas word for green was gair and glyes.

White, in my words

byn : white

The Fennas word for the color white is byn. Byn is an uncommon last name. Byn is an unusual first name. In Swedish byn is the definite singular of by which means village. Byn is the name of a number of cities and towns in Sweden.

How did I come up with this word? The word for white in Welsh is gwyn, white in Irish is bán, white in Breton is gwenn.

My previous Fennas word for white was wenn. After some consideration, I decided to change my word to take more from the Irish word. Starting the word for white with W was perhaps too like English. The word for white in French, blanc, also starts with B.

Yellow, in my words

melui : yellow

The Fennas word for the color yellow is melui. Imloth Melui is a place mentioned in The Lord of the Rings noted for fragrant roses (in Sindarin melui means lovely, sweet). Melui is a city on the island of Sulawesi in Indonesia.

How did I come up with this word? The Welsh word for yellow is melyn, the Irish word for yellow is buí, and the Breton word for yellow is melen.

My previous Fennas word for yellow was melar. The new word starts like the Welsh and Breton words for yellow, and ends like Irish word.

Church, in my words

eglis : church

The Fennas word for church is eglis. Eglis is an uncommon first name that can be hispanic. Eglis is an uncommon last name.

How did I come up with this word? The Welsh word for church is eglwys, and the Irish word for church is eaglais, and the Breton word for church is iliz. (Also, note that the French word for church is église).

The picture shows Cooneen parish church of Ireland.

Pewter, in my words

piwear : pewter

The Fennas word for pewter (metal alloy) is piwear. PI wear brand T-shirts and Piwear t-shirts and clothing with the Greek letter Pi on them.

How did I come up with this word? The Welsh word for pewter is piwter, and the Irish word for pewter is péatar.

The picture shows a pewter charger plate. Pewter tableware was common from the Middle Ages up until the 18th and 19th centuries. Pewter is a tin alloy.

This is a new word, not a revision.

Steel, in my words

durc : steel

The Fennas word for steel (metal alloy) is durc. Durc is rare masculine last name. Durc is the name of Ayla's son in The Clan of the Cave Bear.

How did I come up with this word? The Welsh word for steel is dur, the Irish word for steel is cruach, and the Breton word for steel is dir.

The picture shows forged steel balls used for grinding, such as grinding ore. These balls are likely heavy.

Notice that the first three letters of my word for steel, durc, are the Welsh word for steel, and the last letter going backwards are the first three letters of the Irish word.

Brass, in my words

prest : brass

The Fennas word for brass (metal alloy) is prest. Prest is a last name. In Basque prest means ready, prepared. In Breton prest means ready and loan. In Norewegian prest means priest.

How did I come up with this word? The Welsh word for brass is pres, the Irish word for brass is práis, and the Breton word for brass is laton (which appears to be derived from the French word for brass laiton).

The picture shows an antique brass candlestick.

Bronze, in my words

efra : bronze

The Fennas word for bronze (metal alloy) is efra. Efra is a rare last name. Efra is a unusual feminine first name. Efra is a small mountainous village in Syria.

How did I come up with this word? The Welsh word for bronze is efydd, the Irish word for bronze is umha, and the Breton word for bronze is arem.

The picture shows a 1870 bronze coin from Jersey. Not New Jersey, the British island of Jersey. It has Queen Victoria on the coin.

Lead, in my words

pluam : lead

The Fennas word for lead (metal) is pluam. Pluam is a rare last name. Pluam is conjugations of the Latin verb to rain, or to fall or drip like rain. In Hmong pluam lus means agree, give permission.

How did I come up with this word? The Welsh word for lead is plwm; the Irish word for lead is luaidhe; the Breton word for lead is plom.

The picture shows lead shot, the original projectiles for muskets and early rifles. Nowadays shot is fired primarily from shotguns.

Iron, in my words

hiarn : iron

The Fennas word for iron is hiarn. Hiarn is an uncommon last name. In Manx, a Celtic language spoken on the Isle of Man, hiarn means lord, your grace.

How did I come up with this word? The Welsh word for iron is haearn, the Irish word for iron is iarann, and the Breton word for iron is houarn.

The picture shows 19th century wrought iron nails.

Gold, in my words

aor : gold

The Fennas word for gold is aor. Aor is a rare last name. AOR is an acronym for Album-oriented rock which is an American FM radio format.

How did I come up with this word? The Welsh word for gold is aur, the Irish word for gold is ór (noun) or óir (adjective), and the Breton word for gold is aour.
Also, the word for gold for Cornish is owr.

The picture shows an Anglo-Saxon gold coin.

Silver, in my words

arind : silver

The Fennas word for silver (metal) is arind. Arind is a first name which can be masculine or feminine which usually seems to be Indian or Indonesian. Arind is a rare last name.

How did I come up with this word? The Welsh word for silver is arian, the Irish word for silver is airgead, and the Breton word for silver is arc'hant.

Copper, in my words

cobar : copper

The Fennas word for copper (metal) is cobar. Cobar is a last name. Cobar is a small city in New South Wales, Australia.

How did I come up with this word? The Welsh word for copper is copr, the Irish word for copper is copar, and the Breton word for copper is kouevr. In other Celtic langauges, the word for copper in Cornish is cober and the word for copper in Manx is cobbyr.

Bone, in my words

ascan : bone

The Fennas word for bone is ascan. Ascan is an unusual masculine Germanic name. In Old English ascan means ashes.

How did I come up with this word? The Welsh word for bone is asgwrn, the Irish word for bone is cnámh, and the Breton word for bone is askorn.

The bones shown in the picture are camel bones.

Door, in my words

dyrs : door

The Fennas word for door is dyrs. Dyrs is an unusual last name. In Danish dyrs is genitive forms of the noun dyr meaning animal, beast. DYRS FM 91.7 is a radio station in the province of Antique in the Philippines.

How did I come up with this word? The Welsh word for door is drws, the Irish word for door is doras, and the Breton word for door is dor.

Bridge, in my words

drond : bridge

The Fennas word for bridge is drond. Drond is a rare last name.

How did I come up with this word? The Welsh word for bridge is pont, the Irish word for bridge is droichead, and the Breton word for bridge is pont.

The Welsh and Breton words appear based on the Latin word for bridge, pons, or perhaps the French word for bridge, pont.

Glass, in my words

gwyne : glass

The Fennas word for glass is gwyne. Gwyne is a last name. Gwyne is a feminine first name.

How did I come up with this word? The Welsh word for glass is gwydr, the Irish word for glass is gloine, and the Breton word for glass is gwer or gwerenn.

Happy New Year!