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.