2012/01/01 by A.J. Hughes · 1 citation
Arts and Humanities · #Linguistics and language evolution #Historical Studies of British Isles #Lexicography and Language Studies #Celtic languages #Battle #Irish #Meaning (existential) #History #Literature #Ancient history #Art #Linguistics #Philosophy
paper · doi:10.3406/ecelt.2012.2352
openalex publication_date 2012/01/01 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · openalex updated_date 2026/05/21
According to some linguists, the IE word for ’ wolf’, * wlkhos, has been replaced in Celtic languages by new expressions, such as the periphrastic Irish mac tíre ’ son of the land’, probably calqued on a pre-Indo-European substratum. But IE *wlkhos is nevertheless attested in Continental Celtic, though the exact meaning of Gaulish Catuuolkos is still disputed, ’ hawk of battle’ or ’ wolf of battle’. According to J. Koch, the meaning was originally ’ beast of prey’, later specialized into ’ hawk’ (cf. W. gwalch). After reviewing possible reflexes in Irish onomastics (Ogham Ulccagni, Old Irish Olcán, Olc Aiche etc.), the author argues we would have the same reflex in Modern Irish greim madra uilc ’ mad dog bite’ and, in an early Scottish expression, ón chuaine alla uilc ’ from the wild lupine pack’ (in a poem from the Book of the Dean of Lismore).