pedwar (Welsh)
Where does "pedwar" come from?
The Welsh word 'pedwar' is an ancient term for the number four, tracing its roots all the way back to the Proto-Indo-European *kʷetwóres. Over thousands of years, it evolved through Proto-Celtic and Proto-Brythonic stages before becoming the standard word used in Welsh today. Its deep structural similarity to cognates in other ancient languages highlights the shared linguistic heritage of many European tongues.
Full etymology tree
- pedwar (Welsh), 'four'
- inherited pedwar (Middle Welsh)
- inherited petguar (Old Welsh)
- inherited *pedwar (Proto-Brythonic), 'four'
- inherited *kʷetwores (Proto-Celtic), 'four'
- inherited *kʷetwóres (Proto-Indo-European), 'four'
- derived *kʷetu- (Proto-Indo-European)
- inherited *kʷetwóres (Proto-Indo-European), 'four'
- inherited *kʷetwores (Proto-Celtic), 'four'
- inherited *pedwar (Proto-Brythonic), 'four'
- inherited petguar (Old Welsh)
- inherited pedwar (Middle Welsh)
Ancestors
- *pedwar (Proto-Brythonic)
- *kʷetwores (Proto-Celtic)
- *kʷetwóres (Proto-Indo-European)
Updated July 2026
Etymology data from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0 · About Miraris