Reconstruction:Proto-Celtic/westā

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

Given it meaning both "feast" and "staying the night", this term's derivation has been disputed. It contains the suffix *-tā anyhow.

• The meaning "stay for a night" can only be from Proto-Indo-European *h₂wes- (“to dwell, spend the night”).
• The meaning "feast" is either derived from the "stay" meaning (with a feast and other entertainment assumed to be customary for inviting someone else over to one's place), or Proto-Indo-European *wes- (“to graze”).

Noun

*westā f

1. staying at someone's place for the night
2. food, feast

Declension

Masculine/feminine i-stem
	singular	dual	plural
nominative	*wessis	*wessī	*wessīs
vocative	*wessi	*wessī	*wessīs
accusative	*wessim	*wessī	*wessims
genitive	*wesseis	*wessyow	*wessyom
dative	*wessei	*wessibom	*wessibos
locative	*wessei	*?	*?
instrumental	*wessī	*wessibim	*wessibis

Descendants

• Proto-Brythonic: *gwest
  • ⇒ Old Breton: Orguest (personal name)
  • Old Cornish: gwest
  • Middle Welsh: gwest
• Old Irish: fess