Reconstruction:Proto-Celtic/swelos

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

Unknown. Matasović dismisses a connection to Proto-Germanic *swellaną (“to swell”), declaring their semantics incompatible. He also notes the similar-sounding root Proto-Indo-European *welH- (“to turn”), which is an almost perfect match with the Celtic root except for the initial *s-. If these roots are connected, an s-mobile must be posited, but no other evidence of this is known in other Indo-European languages.

Noun

*swelos m

1. turn

Inflection

Masculine o-stem
	singular	dual	plural
nominative	*swelos	*swelou	*sweloi
vocative	*swele	*swelou	*sweloi
accusative	*swelom	*swelou	*swelons
genitive	*swelī	*swelous	*swelom
dative	*swelūi	*swelobom	*swelobos
locative	*swelei	*?	*?
instrumental	*swelū	*swelobim	*swelūis

Descendants

• Proto-Brythonic: *hwel
  • Breton: hoalat (“to attract, charm”)
  • Middle Welsh: chwyl
    • Welsh: chwŷl
• Old Irish: sel
  • Middle Irish: sel
    • Irish: seal
    • Manx: shayll
    • Scottish Gaelic: seal (“while”)
    • ⇒ Middle Irish: dessel
      • Irish: deiseal
        • → English: deiseal, deisal, deasil, deisul, deshil
      • Scottish Gaelic: deiseil
    • ⇒ Middle Irish: túaithbel
      • Irish: tuathal
      • Scottish Gaelic: tuathal