saith (Welsh)
Where does "saith" come from?
The Welsh word 'saith', meaning seven, traces its roots back to the ancient Proto-Indo-European root *septḿ̥. As the language evolved through Proto-Celtic and Proto-Brythonic stages, it shifted into the Middle Welsh 'seith' before arriving at its modern form. This ancient numeral is particularly fascinating because its similarity to other prehistoric language families suggests it may have once functioned as a 'culture word' shared through early contact between diverse civilizations.
Full etymology tree
- saith (Welsh), 'seven'
- inherited seith (Middle Welsh), 'seven'
- inherited *seiθ (Proto-Brythonic), 'seven'
- inherited *sextam (Proto-Celtic), 'seven'
- inherited *seɸtam (Proto-Celtic)
- inherited *septḿ̥ (Proto-Indo-European), 'seven'
- borrowed *šabʕ- (Proto-Semitic), 'seven'
- inherited *sṗɣ (Proto-Afroasiatic)
- borrowed *šabʕ- (Proto-Semitic), 'seven'
- inherited *septḿ̥ (Proto-Indo-European), 'seven'
- inherited *seɸtam (Proto-Celtic)
- inherited *sextam (Proto-Celtic), 'seven'
- inherited *seiθ (Proto-Brythonic), 'seven'
- inherited seith (Middle Welsh), 'seven'
Ancestors
- seith (Middle Welsh)
- *seiθ (Proto-Brythonic)
- *sextam (Proto-Celtic)
- *septḿ̥ (Proto-Indo-European)
Updated July 2026
Etymology data from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0 · About Miraris