Where does “Breatainn Bheag” come from?

Breatainn Bheag (Scottish Gaelic) comes from Scottish Gaelic beag, from Old Irish bec, from Proto-Celtic *biggos — small, little.

Ancestry of “Breatainn Bheag”, step by step

Breatainn Bheag traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.

via Scottish Gaelic beag

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Scottish Gaelicbeagsmall, little, short, diminutive; disagreeable;...
2Old Irishbecsmall
3Proto-Celtic*biggossmall, little

via Scottish Gaelic Breatainn

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Scottish GaelicBreatainn—
2Old IrishBretainBritain
3LatinBrittōnēs—
Every word from Proto-Celtic *biggos →Every word from Old Irish bec →Every word from Scottish Gaelic beag →