2"40 PROCEEDINGS OF THE CANADIAN INSTITUTE. 



I sliall now take the Gaelic names of some conspicuous and well 

 known natural objects and actions common to the whole Aryan I'ace, 

 and endeavour to shew, by comparing them with other Aryan forms, 

 how accurately they have been preserved by the Gaelic speaking 

 people. 



"Words Relating to Heat and Light. 



Heat and light having been known to all the families of the Aryan 

 I'ace, it might be expected that its different branches would carry the 

 original names of these elements with them to their new abodes. 



In Sanscrit, Gharma (from the Aryan root, ghar, gar, to sliiue, 

 to heat) means warm, hot. In Gaelic, gar means to warm : Gar 

 do lamhan, warm your hands ; ghar e 'lamhaji, he warmed his 

 hands." In Sanscrit, ghri, means to shine, to heat ; in Gaelic the 

 word for sun is grian, a yhrian, the sun ; griosach in Gaelic is hot 

 embers ; In Sanscrit, sura is the word for sun, the shiner, as grian is 

 the shiner in Gaelic, sura Vjeing froui sioar, to shine, as sol, the sun, 

 is from the cognate swal, to shine. Now, tlie Gaelic woi'd for light is 

 solus, evidently c ninected with sol, the sun, and sival, to shine. 

 Soillsich is one Gaelic word, meaning to sliine, connected with swal, 

 to shine ; suil an eye, and seall, or seoll, to look, are of the same 

 family. Helios, the Greek for sun, and luad, the Welsh word seem to 

 be connected. Another Gaelic woi'd for shine in dearsadh ; and deal- 

 radh, which is slightly different in meaning, seems to be the saipe 

 word, as r and I easily glide into each other, like svxir and swal ; stir 

 and sol. The pronunciation of dealradh is peculiar ; it is like 

 djealradh : dealanach, lightning, is a word of the same group and is 

 ])ronouncjd in a similar manner ; both being i>i'ol)ably from the root 

 ghar or qhal, to shine. 



There is a remarkable similarity between the Gaelic soi, a particle 

 used in composition, meaning good or easily done, and the Greek 

 particle eu, which, a learned friend connected with this Institute 

 informs me, was originally seu. The particle in Gaelic expressive of 

 the reverse of this, is di or do, like the Greek dys. Soi-sguel in 

 Gaelic means good tidings ; sollleir in Gaelic means what can be seen, 

 l^ir meaning to see ; do-leir, dark, what cannot be seen ; saoidh means 

 good, brave men ; daoi, bad, wicked men ; perhaps dorcha, dark, may 

 be formed in the same manner from do and a root arg, akin to Aryan 



