Reconstruction:Proto-Celtic/ne

This Proto-Celtic entry contains reconstructed terms and roots. As such, the term(s) in this entry are not directly attested, but are hypothesized to have existed based on comparative evidence.

Proto-Celtic

Etymology

From Proto-Indo-European *ne.

Adverb

*ne

1. not

Descendants

• Celtiberian: ne
• Old Irish: na, ná (with vowel lengthened)
  • Irish: ná

Derived terms

• *nīs(t) (“is not”) (from *ne esti; in Insular Celtic coming to mean simply ‘not’)
  • Proto-Brythonic: *ni
    • Old Breton: ne
      • Middle Breton: ne
        • Breton: ne
    • Cornish: ny
    • Old Welsh: ni
      • Middle Welsh: ny, nyt
        • Welsh: ni, nid
  • Old Irish: ní, níi
    • Middle Irish: ní
      • Irish: ní

Further reading

• Matasović, Ranko (2009) Etymological Dictionary of Proto-Celtic (Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series; 9), Leiden: Brill, →ISBN
• Schrijver, Peter (1997) Studies in the History of Celtic Pronouns and Particles (Maynooth Studies in Celtic Linguistics; 2), Maynooth: St. Patrick's College, Department of Old Irish, National University of Ireland, →ISBN, p. 158
• Jordán Cólera, Carlos (1998) Introducción al celtibérico (Monografías de filología griega; 10), Zaragoza: Departamento de Ciencias de la Antigüedad, Area de Filología Griega, Universidad de Zaragoza, →ISBN, p. 103