Sinnach
/ˈʃɪn̪ˠəx/noun
An Old Irish word meaning “fox,” preserved in historical Celtic vocabulary and related Gaelic forms.
Did you know?The modern Irish word *sionnach* and Scottish Gaelic *sionnach* descend from the same older Celtic fox-word, showing how animal names can survive for more than a millennium through sound changes.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Celtic
Proto-Celtic
*sindākos
“A reconstructed Celtic word meaning “fox”; the exact deeper Indo-European connection is uncertain.”
Old Irish
Old Irish
sinnach
“Fox; an animal traditionally associated in Celtic storytelling with cunning and cleverness.”
Middle Irish
Middle Irish
sionnach
“Fox; a later form showing the vowel changes that developed in Irish.”
Early Modern Irish
Irish
sionnach
“Fox, especially in literary and traditional usage.”
Modern Gaelic languages
Irish/Scottish Gaelic
sionnach
“Fox; the modern descendant of the older form *sinnach*.”