Gaulish
/ˈɡɔːlɪʃ/noun
Relating to the ancient Celtic people of Gaul or to their now-extinct language.
Did you know?Gaulish survives like a ghost in modern French geography and a handful of inscriptions, but the language itself vanished after Romanization, leaving only fragments of a once-powerful Celtic speech.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*wal-
“to be strong, powerful”
Proto-Celtic
PCelt
*wālisos / *gallos
“foreign, stranger; later associated with the people of Gaul in Celtic and neighboring languages”
Latin
Latin
Gallia
“Gaul, the region inhabited by the Gauls”
Old French
OF
gaulois
“Gaulish; of Gaul”
Middle English
English
gaulissh
“of or relating to Gaul or the Gauls”
Modern English
English
Gaulish
“relating to the ancient Gauls or their language”