I was watching video footage of Ukrainian forces engaging Russian
positions in Donetsk when the voiceover mentioned 'Ghillie' suits - the camouflage suits soldiers wear in forests, woods to make them look like bushes.
Yes, I'd seen 'ghillie' suits in films and hunting videos before, but
had never heard the term before.
I was pleasantly surprised when I found out that it is of Gaelic origine.
"The word "ghillie" is derived from the Scots Gaelic term "gille," which translates to "young man" or "servant." This term historically referred
to individuals who assisted sportsmen in hunting and fishing,
particularly in the Scottish Highlands. "
My question (in order not to upset the traditionalists here) - Is
'Ghillie' a relation of the French 'gilet' - a waistcoat?
Buy your own Ghillie here: https://www.theghilliesuits.com/--
MacBain doesnrCOt think thererCOs a link:
rCYgille, lad, servant, Ir. giolla, E. Ir. gilla; cf. Eng. child, Ag.
S. cild. Zimmer thinks it is borrowed from the Norse gildr, stout,
brawny, of full worth, Eng. guild, Ag. S. gild, payment (see geall),
gilda, fellow, used in the names of Norsemen converted to
Christianity instead of maol, slave. gille-fo-luinn, sea-grass
(Wh.).rCY
On 12/08/26 19:16, Aidan Kehoe wrote:
MacBain doesnrCOt think thererCOs a link:
rCYgille, lad, servant, Ir. giolla, E. Ir. gilla; cf. Eng. child, Ag.
S. cild. Zimmer thinks it is borrowed from the Norse gildr, stout,
brawny, of full worth, Eng. guild, Ag. S. gild, payment (see geall), gilda, fellow, used in the names of Norsemen converted to
Christianity instead of maol, slave. gille-fo-luinn, sea-grass
(Wh.).rCY
That last bit struck my eye because of my surname. I'd always assumed
that one of my ancestors was tonsured. Was he instead a slave?
Just to check, I did an on-line translation of "slave" to Irish, and got b|-arla. That only added to the confusion. I thought b|-arla was what the Sasanchs spoke.
The OED asserts that the French word is ultimately from Turkish yelek, meaning
waistcoat; seems to be a native Turkish word from https://www.nisanyansozluk.com/kelime/yelek .
Aidan Kehoe hat am 12.08.2026 um 11:16 geschrieben:
The OED asserts that the French word is ultimately from Turkish yelek, meaning
waistcoat; seems to be a native Turkish word from
https://www.nisanyansozluk.com/kelime/yelek .
500 Internal Error with 3 browsers. What's going on?
Aidan Kehoe hat am 12.08.2026 um 11:16 geschrieben:
The OED asserts that the French word is ultimately from Turkish yelek, meaning waistcoat; seems to be a native Turkish word from https://www.nisanyansozluk.com/kelime/yelek .
500 Internal Error with 3 browsers. What's going on?
Aidan Kehoe hat am 12.08.2026 um 11:16 geschrieben:
The OED asserts that the French word is ultimately from Turkish yelek, meaning
waistcoat; seems to be a native Turkish word from
https://www.nisanyansozluk.com/kelime/yelek .
500 Internal Error with 3 browsers. What's going on?
On 12/08/2026 12:43, Silvano wrote:
Aidan Kehoe hat am 12.08.2026 um 11:16 geschrieben:Worked first time for me with Firefox and chrome
The OED asserts that the French word is ultimately from Turkish yelek,
meaning
waistcoat; seems to be a native Turkish word from
https://www.nisanyansozluk.com/kelime/yelek .
500 Internal Error with 3 browsers. What's going on?
Ar an dara l|i d|-ag de m|! L||nasa, scr|!obh Peter Moylan:
On 12/08/26 19:16, Aidan Kehoe wrote:
MacBain doesnrCOt think thererCOs a link:
rCYgille, lad, servant, Ir. giolla, E. Ir. gilla; cf. Eng. child,
Ag. S. cild. Zimmer thinks it is borrowed from the Norse gildr,
stout, brawny, of full worth, Eng. guild, Ag. S. gild, payment
(see geall), gilda, fellow, used in the names of Norsemen
converted to Christianity instead of maol, slave.
gille-fo-luinn, sea-grass (Wh.).rCY
That last bit struck my eye because of my surname. I'd always
assumed that one of my ancestors was tonsured. Was he instead a
slave?
Just to check, I did an on-line translation of "slave" to Irish,
and got b|-arla. That only added to the confusion. I thought b|-arla
was what the Sasanchs spoke.
https://www.teanglann.ie/ for decent dictionaries, though IrCOm sure
yourCOve come across it before.
rCLMaolrCY for slave is Old Irish, it likely didnrCOt have that meaning
when people were coming up with surnames.
I was watching video footage of Ukrainian forces engaging Russian
positions in Donetsk when the voiceover mentioned 'Ghillie' suits - the camouflage suits soldiers wear in forests, woods to make them look like bushes.
Yes, I'd seen 'ghillie' suits in films and hunting videos before, but
had never heard the term before.
I was pleasantly surprised when I found out that it is of Gaelic origine.
"The word "ghillie" is derived from the Scots Gaelic term "gille," which translates to "young man" or "servant." This term historically referred
to individuals who assisted sportsmen in hunting and fishing,
particularly in the Scottish Highlands. "
My question (in order not to upset the traditionalists here) - Is
'Ghillie' a relation of the French 'gilet' - a waistcoat?
On 12/08/2026 09:51 AM, occam wrote:
I was watching video footage of Ukrainian forces engaging Russian
positions in Donetsk when the voiceover mentioned 'Ghillie' suits - the
camouflage suits soldiers wear in forests, woods to make them look like
bushes.
Yes, I'd seen 'ghillie' suits in films and hunting videos before, but
had never heard the term before.
I was pleasantly surprised when I found out that it is of Gaelic origine.
"The word "ghillie" is derived from the Scots Gaelic term "gille," which
translates to "young man" or "servant." This term historically referred
to individuals who assisted sportsmen in hunting and fishing,
particularly in the Scottish Highlands. "
I think I first encountered the word "Ghillie" in the David Walker book
(and the film) "Geordie".
My question (in order not to upset the traditionalists here) --a Is
'Ghillie' a relation of the French 'gilet' - a waistcoat?
AI search engine result for "Is the Caelic word "ghillie" related to the French word "gilet"?":
QUOTE:
No, the Scottish Gaelic word ghillie and the French word gilet are
completely unrelated and come from entirely different language families. Their similar spelling and sound in English are a coincidence.
Origins of "Ghillie":
Language Family: Scottish Gaelic / Celtic
Meaning: Derived from gille, meaning a boy, lad, or manservant.
In the Scottish Highlands, it came to mean an outdoor attendant or guide
who assists on hunting and fishing trips.
Derivatives: This is the root behind terms like ghillie suit (camouflage clothing worn by hunters and snipers) and ghillie brogues (traditional
laced shoes with no tongues).
Origins of "Gilet":
Language Family: French (borrowed via regional Italian from Turkish)
Meaning: A light, sleeveless jacket, vest, or waistcoat.
Etymology: The French word gilet traces back through regional Italian dialects (like Genoese gilecco) to the Turkish word yelek, meaning a
vest or jacket.
On 13/08/2026 09:37, JNugent wrote:
On 12/08/2026 09:51 AM, occam wrote:
I was watching video footage of Ukrainian forces engaging Russian
positions in Donetsk when the voiceover mentioned 'Ghillie' suits - the
camouflage suits soldiers wear in forests, woods to make them look like
bushes.
Yes, I'd seen 'ghillie' suits in films and hunting videos before, but
had never heard the term before.
I was pleasantly surprised when I found out that it is of Gaelic origine. >>>
"The word "ghillie" is derived from the Scots Gaelic term "gille," which >>> translates to "young man" or "servant." This term historically referred
to individuals who assisted sportsmen in hunting and fishing,
particularly in the Scottish Highlands. "
I think I first encountered the word "Ghillie" in the David Walker book
(and the film) "Geordie".
My question (in order not to upset the traditionalists here) - Is
'Ghillie' a relation of the French 'gilet' - a waistcoat?
AI search engine result for "Is the Caelic word "ghillie" related to the
French word "gilet"?":
Well, you see, I did not resort to AI, and our man Aidan Kehoe provided
us with an equally good (if not better) answer (see upthread).
Thanks for the rest ... and give my regards to your AI.
--- Synchronet 3.22a-Linux NewsLink 1.2QUOTE:
No, the Scottish Gaelic word ghillie and the French word gilet are
completely unrelated and come from entirely different language families.
Their similar spelling and sound in English are a coincidence.
Origins of "Ghillie":
Language Family: Scottish Gaelic / Celtic
Meaning: Derived from gille, meaning a boy, lad, or manservant.
In the Scottish Highlands, it came to mean an outdoor attendant or guide
who assists on hunting and fishing trips.
Derivatives: This is the root behind terms like ghillie suit (camouflage
clothing worn by hunters and snipers) and ghillie brogues (traditional
laced shoes with no tongues).
Origins of "Gilet":
Language Family: French (borrowed via regional Italian from Turkish)
Meaning: A light, sleeveless jacket, vest, or waistcoat.
Etymology: The French word gilet traces back through regional Italian
dialects (like Genoese gilecco) to the Turkish word yelek, meaning a
vest or jacket.
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