nciples of English Etymology, Series I_, pp. 443-452, to which I
may refer the reader; and a list of words of (probably) Celtic origin
is given in my larger _Etymological Dictionary_, ed. 1910, p. 765. It
is also explained, in my _Primer of English Etymology_ that, in the
fifth century, the time of Hengist's invasion, "the common language
of the more educated classes among the British was Latin, which was
in use as a literary language and as the language of the British
Christian Church. Hence, the Low German tribes [of invaders] found
no great necessity for learning ancient British; and this explains
the fact, which would otherwise be extraordinary, that modern English
contains but a very small Celtic element." Of the Celts that remained
within the English pale, it is certain that, in a very short time,
they accepted the necessity of learning Anglian or Saxon, and lost
their previous language altogether. Hence, in many dialects, as
for example, in the East Midland district, the amount of words of
"British" origin is practically _nil_. For further remarks on this
subject, see Chapter V of _Anglo-Saxon Britain_, by Grant Allen,
London, n.d.

I here give a tentative list of some Celtic words found in dialects.
Their etymologies are discussed in my _Etymological Dictionary_
(1910), as they are also found in literary use; and the words are
fully explained in the _English Dialect Dictionary_, which gives
all their senses, and enumerates the counties in which they are found.
It is doubtless imperfect, as I give only words that are mostly well
known, and can be found, indeed, in the _New English Dictionary_.
I give only one sense of each, and mark it as N., M., or S. (Northern,
Midland, or Southern), as the case may be. The symbol "gen." means
"in general use"; and "Sc." means Lowland Scotch.

_Art_, or _airt_, Sc., a direction of the wind; _banshee_, Irish,
a female spirit who warns families of a death; _beltane_, N., the
first of May; _bin_, M., a receptacle; _boggart_, _bogle_, N., M.,
a hobgoblin; _bragget_, N., M., a drink made of honey and ale; _brat_,
N., M., a cloth, clout; _brock_, gen., a badger; _bug_, N., a bogy;
_bugaboo_, N., M., a hobgoblin; _capercailyie_, Sc., a bird;
_cateran_, Sc., a Highland robber; _char_, N., a fish; _clachan_, Sc.,
a hamlet; _clan_, N., M., a class, set of people; _claymore_, Sc.,
a two-handed sword; _colleen_, Irish, a young girl; _combe_, gen.,
the head of a valley; _coracle_, M., a w