Reconstruction:Proto-Celtic/baissā

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

A derivative of *baitos (“custom; mad; foolish”).

Which of the two main senses came first is unclear; Pedersen argued that "folly" came first, while Jørgensen prefers to argue that "custom" came first.^[1]

Noun

*baissā f

custom, habit
foolishness, folly

Inflection

Feminine ā-stem
	singular	dual	plural
nominative	*baissā	*baissai	*baissās
vocative	*baissā	*baissai	*baissās
accusative	*baissam	*baissai	*baissāms
genitive	*baissās	*baissous	*baissom
dative	*baissāi	*baissābom	*baissābos
locative	*baissai	*?	*?
instrumental	*?	*baissābim	*baissābis

Descendants

Proto-Brythonic: *boɨs (“custom”)
- Middle Breton: boas
  - Breton: boaz
- Middle Welsh: moes
  - Welsh: moes
- → Old Irish: bés, béss, bǽs (borrowed after the monophthongization of *ai to /ɛː/ but before breaking of /ɛː/ to *oɨ)
  - Irish: béas
  - Scottish Gaelic: beus
Old Irish: báes, baís (“folly”)
- Middle Irish: báes, baís
  - Irish: baois

References

^ Jørgensen, Anders Richardt (2009) “Irish báeth, báes, bés, ammait and Breton boaz, amoed”, in Keltische Forschungen, volume 4, pages 189-193

[1] Jørgensen, Anders Richardt (2009) “Irish báeth, báes, bés, ammait and Breton boaz, amoed”, in Keltische Forschungen, volume 4, pages 189-193

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