Dart - Celtic Word for Oak

[Nightwalker]

I just learned that the word Dart is a Celtic word; translated it means Oak. Which explains the name 'Dartmoor' with it having been covered in ancient oak throughout its past. Just thought I'd pass on the knowledge

 

[nicodiemus]

Doesn't explain the phrase, "Darting about".

Oaks are not well known for moving quickly.

I'll get me coat.

 

[Nightwalker]

Doesn't explain the phrase, "Darting about". Oaks are not well known for moving quickly. I'll get me coat.

You'd take that back if one were falling toward your hammock

 

[John Fenna]

Ah - the wisdom of Jain Monks eh?!

 

[roots]

Saw that too, what a lovely man. Buuutttttttt, I thought the celtic for Oak was Darroch. I could be wrong of course, any more thoughts on the matter?

 

[Rob]

If anyone missed the programme, which was superb, then it can be found here for the next 6 days.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/page/item/b008s1g0.shtml

If you install the software you can download it and watch it within 30 days.

The bloke didnt have a sharp shiny thing with him at all lol

 

[Nightwalker]

Yeah, it was a brilliant program, worth watching if you love nature! By the way you dont have to download BBC's software (infact I'd recommend against it) if you got the Flash plugin installed on your web-browser you can watch it find.

 

[mr dazzler]

I did once live in a place called Newton Aycliffe. The name Ayc-Liffe is from old norse meaning oak leaf, This was common local knowledge. Not that there was many oaks still standing there, mostly farm land now aday's
The old norse on line dictionary has oak as "eik", the old english one has oak as "ac" (oak leaf = "acleaf", oak tree = "acbeam" ) When I hear those old words I can hear the strong northern dialect's in them (EG from teesdale/Weardale, yan, tyan, tethera, methera etc for counting, we still say yan for one, even now people use that, (Aye I got a good yan) Stainton, stainmore, staindrop, old norse for stone is "steinn"
The way I see it languages start out similar then regional dialect's eventually make them seem different. All the northern european ones are inter related, its just knowing when and how it happened
BUMFIT=15

 

[gregorach]

Saw that too, what a lovely man. Buuutttttttt, I thought the celtic for Oak was Darroch. I could be wrong of course, any more thoughts on the matter?

Well, with a bit of digging I get duir in the Ogham alphabet, darach in modern Irish gaelic, dair in Old Irish, darag in Scots gaelic, dderwen in Welsh. (Some of these are from online translation services that I'm not sure I trust though.) Dart seems to be a Cornish derivation, according to this:

Just to elaborate on the derivation of the river name Dart, it shares this derivation with 6 (possibly 8) other British rivers, including 4 called Derwent. The name represents British *Deruentiu, based upon *daru-, *deru, "oak" with *ent- and *-io-(n) suffixes. The sense is thus "oak-river, river in the oak-wood" (with thanks to A.L.F. Rivet and Colin Smith: The Place-Names of Roman Britain 1979, 1981)

"Celtic" isn't a really language - it's a language group - although there is assumed to have been an original "proto-celtic" language at some point. It's all horribly complicated and largely uncertain.

I guess I should watch that programme now...

 

[gregorach]

Oh, and I've just found a really good list of Gaelic Names of Plants which lists dur, dair, dàrach, dàrag, dùr, drù for oak.

It doesn't explicitly specify, but I'm assuming that's Scots Gaelic, as the original source in given as "The Gaelic Names of Plants by John Cameron, published 1883 by William Blackwood & Sons, Edinburgh." Should be reliable enough.

 

[Nightwalker]

Doing a quick search for 'oak' on a Cornish Dictionary, it comes up with derow. I suspect there's many variations through the dialects. I wish I found learning languages easier, I would love to learn a language of my ancestors. I know a couple of phrases in Cornish, I've lived here all my life and have been a champion Cornish Wrassler for many years Every now and then we still have Interceltic-Tournaments with the Bretons, over there they have so much more support than we do from the government with supporting their history & heritage, grr dont get me started

I have camped a good fews times along the river Dart, it is a beautiful place, the few miles I walked were covered in moss and Oak. There's an established (but rocky) path between Dartmeet and Lucky Tor that follows the river and takes you through beautiful scenery and woodland.