chwech (Welsh)
Where does "chwech" come from?
The Welsh word 'chwech' traces its origins back to the ancient Proto-Indo-European root *swéḱs, meaning 'six.' This root evolved into Proto-Celtic *swexs and later Proto-Brythonic *hwex before settling into its modern Welsh form. It is a linguistic relative of many other words for the number six across the Indo-European family, preserving a lineage that stretches back thousands of years.
Full etymology tree
- chwech (Welsh), 'six'
- inherited *hwex (Proto-Brythonic), 'six'
- inherited *swexs (Proto-Celtic), 'six'
- inherited *swéḱs (Proto-Indo-European), 'six'
- affix *wéḱs (Proto-Indo-European)
- affix s- (Proto-Indo-European)
- inherited *swéḱs (Proto-Indo-European), 'six'
- inherited *swexs (Proto-Celtic), 'six'
- inherited *hwex (Proto-Brythonic), 'six'
Ancestors
- *hwex (Proto-Brythonic)
- *swexs (Proto-Celtic)
- *swéḱs (Proto-Indo-European)
Descendants and derived words
- lle chwech (Welsh)
Updated July 2026
Etymology data from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0 · About Miraris