erch

Welsh

Etymology

Borrowed from Middle Irish erch (“salmon, perch”), from Old Irish erc, from Proto-Celtic *ɸerkos (“perch”), ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *perḱ- (“colored”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ɛrχ/

Adjective

erch (feminine singular erch, plural eirch, equative erched, comparative erchach, superlative erchaf)

1. (obsolete) mottled, speckled

   Synonym: brith

2. (obsolete) frightful, terrible, awful

   Synonyms: ofnadwy, erchyll, dychrynllyd, arswydus

Mutation

Welsh mutation
radical	soft	nasal	h-prothesis
erch	unchanged	unchanged	herch
Note: Some of these forms may be hypothetical. Not every possible mutated form of every word actually occurs.

References

• Matasović, Ranko (2009) Etymological Dictionary of Proto-Celtic (Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series; 9), Leiden: Brill, →ISBN, page 128

Further reading

• R. J. Thomas, G. A. Bevan, P. J. Donovan, A. Hawke et al., editors (1950–present), “erch”, in Geiriadur Prifysgol Cymru Online (in Welsh), University of Wales Centre for Advanced Welsh & Celtic Studies