Etymology Explorer › Scottish Gaelic

Where does “nighean na galla” come from?

nighean na galla (Scottish Gaelic) comes from Scottish Gaelic nighean, from Old Irish ingen, from Primitive Irish ᚔᚅᚔᚌᚓᚅᚐ, from Proto-Celtic enigenā, from Proto-Indo-European ǵenh₁- — to produce, to beget, to give birth.

nighean na galla (Scottish Gaelic): bitch, whore

Definitions

  1. bitch, whore

Ancestry of “nighean na galla”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Scottish Gaelicnigheandaughter, female offspring; girl, maiden
2Old Irishingendaughter; maiden, virgin, young woman; nail
3Primitive Irishᚔᚅᚔᚌᚓᚅᚐdaughter
4Proto-Celticenigenādaughter
5Proto-Indo-Europeanǵenh₁-to produce, to beget, to give birth
Every word from Proto-Indo-European ǵenh₁- →