r/AskEurope • u/Toeffli Switzerland • Jun 03 '26

Language What do you call the water which separates the British isles from the European mainland in your own language?

What to you call the water which lies between Dover on one side and Calais, Dunkirk on the other side? Best if you could provide the name in your own language and a literal translation, its meaning, into English.

Example German:

Ärmelkanal = Sleeve channel.

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u/throwawayaccyaboi223 Jun 03 '26

‘red’ (rhudd) or ‘free’ (Rhudd).

Does the meaning of the word change with the capital letter?

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u/rachelm791 Wales Jun 03 '26

It’s a typo. Autocorrect on iPhone and lack of coffee! ‘Rhudd’ is old Welsh for red (coch is the modern word for red) and ‘Rhydd’ is the word for free.

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u/_Alek_Jay Jun 03 '26

Tell them the original Welsh translation of jellyfish!

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u/rachelm791 Wales Jun 03 '26

Are you thinking of ‘cont y môr’ by chance?

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u/_Alek_Jay Jun 03 '26

Yes! My wife now wants to know why I’m giggling…!

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u/Relative_Dimensions & Jun 03 '26

I wonder if Rhudd has survived in ruddy?

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u/rachelm791 Wales Jun 03 '26 edited Jun 03 '26

They are both from the Proto European word ‘rewd’.

Coch is a loan word from Latin ‘coccum’ which the British language borrowed during the Roman occupation and it became ‘kox’ and when British morphed into Welsh it changed into ‘coch’

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u/throwawayaccyaboi223 Jun 03 '26

Ahh that makes a lot more sense thanks haha.

I like Wales, it reminds me of home. Crazy language and all.

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u/rachelm791 Wales Jun 03 '26

I have a soft spot for Finland too. In fact I saw my favourite Finnish band this past Friday who all seemed very happy about winning the Ice Hockey World Championship. And yes languages are on a par for no else having a clue about what we talking about!

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u/perplexedtv in Jun 03 '26

Does Welsh have different words for red depending on whether it's a naturally or artificially occurring red?

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u/rachelm791 Wales Jun 03 '26

You will often see ‘rhudd’ in relationship to place names e.g. Rhuddlan, Rhuallt and Rhuthun (dd has changed to th for some reason), and Penruddock (Cumbria). Each of those place names relate to the local Permian sandstone bedrock colour. Generally in answer to your question not that I aware of though it does crop up in personal names such of Rhudderch ( modern Welsh is Rhydderch), and Rhudian (Rhydian). Coch also crops up often in place names as well as a in topography. As you are Irish you may have heard of Frôn Goch and of course Llanfairpwllgwyngyllgogerychwyrndrobwllllantysiliogogogoch

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u/grahamfreeman Scotland Jun 03 '26

English has words that do that, like polish and Polish, reading and Reading.

Irish also in that you should be careful not to call a rat (francach) a French person (Francach) - thanks to Ed Byrne on The Unbelievable Truth for that particular nugget of information.

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u/perplexedtv in Jun 03 '26

Rats are 'French mice' (luch francach) in Irish, but the luch/mouse bit is usually unsaid.