Re: Odp: The Wends and the Venedi

From: Piotr Gasiorowski
Message: 1162
Date: 2000-01-26

 
----- Original Message -----
From: Guillaume JACQUES
To: cybalist@eGroups.com
Sent: Wednesday, January 26, 2000 3:49 PM
Subject: [cybalist] Re: The Wends and the Venedi

       
In breton, gwenn means "white". Is it the same root ? (the verb for
"smile" is very different, mousc'hoarzin, derived from c'hoari, "to
play").

Guillaume
As far as I know, it isn't. It is a Celtic root without known external connections. The Proto-Celtic word for 'white' was *wind-o-: Gaulish vindo-, Welsh gwyn (f. gwen), Old Cornish guyn, Old Irish find, etc. It's a frequent placename and personal-name element, easy to find wherever the Celts have been (e.g. in Roman Vindobona = modern Vienna).
 
The Welsh word for 'play (n. & v.)' is chwarae, obviously related to c'hoari.
 
Piotr