Etymology Explorer › Irish

Where does “cú” come from?

cú (Irish) comes from Old Irish cú, from Primitive Irish ᚉᚒᚅᚐ, from Proto-Celtic kū, from Proto-Indo-European ḱwṓ — dog.

cú (Irish): hound, greyhound; hero, champion

Definitions

  1. hound, greyhound; hero, champion

Ancestry of “cú”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Old Irishcúdog, hound; wolf
2Primitive Irishᚉᚒᚅᚐhound, wolf
3Proto-Celtickūdog; wolf
4Proto-Indo-Europeanḱwṓdog

Words derived from “cú”

  • Cúchulainn
  • coin
  • faolchú
Every word from Proto-Indo-European ḱwṓ →