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Celtic Pathways - Engaged Hostages
Season 1 Episode 93
In this episode we discover the Celtic roots of words for hostage in Germanic languages, and words related to engagement in Finnic languages.
The Proto-Celtic word *geistlos means hostage or bail, and comes from Proto-Indo-European *gʰeydʰ- (to yearn for, to desire) [source]
Descendents in the modern Celtic languages include:
- giall [ɟiəl̪ˠ] = hostage, pledge in Irish
- giall [gʲiəl̪ˠ] = hostage, pledge in Scottish Gaelic
- gioal = pledge, stake, wager in Manx
- gwystl [ɡwɨ̞sdl] = pledge, assurance, security in Welsh
- gostel = hostage, riot in Cornish
- gouestl [ˈɡwestl] = hostage, pledge, guarantee in Breton
More details of words for hostage and related things in Celtic languages can be found in the Celtiadur post Captive Hostages.
Words from the same Proto-Celtic root, via Proto-Germanic *gīslaz (hostage), include gijzelen (to take hostage) in Dutch, Geisel (hostage) in German, and gissel (hostage) in Norwegian [source].
The Finnish words kihlata (to betroth) and kihlajaislahja (engagement present), the Estonian word kihlatu (to betroth) also come from the same Proto-Celtic roots via Proto-Germanic *gīslaz (hostage) and Proto-Finnic *kihla (pledge, bet, wager, engagement gift) [source].
Words from the same PIE root (*gʰeydʰ-) include geisti (to desire, crave, covet) in Lithuanian, gaidīt (to wait, expect) in Latvian, ždát (to ask) in Czech, and ждати (ždáty – to wait for, expect) in Ukrainian [source].
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