ONlwSG

cìlean m. [ˈkʲʰiːlan], gen. cìlein -[æɲ], -[ɛɲ], in the sense ‘large cod-fish’ is derived by MacBain (1896; 1911) from Norse keila f. ‘Gadus longus or “long cod” ’; he derives SG (Sutherland) cilig [sic] from the same source. Mackay (1897, 93) cites (Sutherland) ceilig [sic] ‘cod’ from Ice. keila ‘idem’. MacBain is followed by Henderson (1910, 121), who also cites Mx keilleig, 

So also Bugge 1912, 304: SG cilean or cilig, Mx keillig.

and by MacLennan (1925).

So also Stewart 2004, 409: cìlean.

McDonald (2009, 370–71) considers the derivation likely.

De Vries (1962) takes both SG cilean, cilig [sic] (citing Henderson ibid.) and the Isle of Man place-name The Kella (citing Marstrander 1932, 243) to be from ON keila. Marstrander argues that The Kella derives from ON *Keila ‘(the) narrow bay’, the primary sense of ON keila. However, Broderick (PNIM III, 410) suggests the name is from Mx *(Balley ny) Keylley ‘(the farm of) the wood’.

(A note on the identity of fish names cited in this entry: OED^˄ defines Eng. keeling as ‘a cod-fish, [although t]he exact sense seems to have varied, in different localities, from “large cod” to “small cod” or “codling” ’. SND^˄ defines Scots keelin as ‘the [Atlantic] cod, Gadus morrhua’. SG cìlean etc. is generally ‘a large cod’, although AFB^˄ gives ‘the tusk/cusk, Brosme brosme [a North-Atlantic cod-like fish, alias Gadus torsk]’.

Other exceptions are Lhuyd 1700, 137 X.30: (Inverness) kîlen ‘ling’; CG VI, 41: cìlig ‘rock eel’.

For Ice. keila, Cleasby (1874) gives ‘Gadus longus’, 

So also MacBain 1896; 1911.

perhaps indicating ‘a fully grown cod’; Zoëga (1910), however, lists OIce. keila as ‘a sea fish allied to the cod; torsk or tusk [= Brosme brosme]’, and NO gives ON keila as ‘[Brosme] brosme’.

Bugge 1912, 304, uses the synonym Brosmius vulgaris. De Vries (1962) defines ON keila as ‘[Germ.] Brachsen [“bream, Abramis brama”]’.

Mx keilleig denotes ‘the pollock, Pollachius virens (alias Gadus carbonarius)’ (cf. Moore 1924, s.v. (Anglo-Manx) callag, killick, and Broderick 1984, s.v. (Mx) kellagh or kellag; so also Ó Baoill 1994, 187).)

The following Scottish Gaelic forms are found:

A. SG cìlinn, cèilinn
A 1. SG cìlinn [ˈkʲʰiːliɲ]
In Lhuyd (1700, 137 X.30), SG (Inverness) kîlen translates Eng. ling.

A 2. SG cèilinn [ˈkʲʰeːliɲ] ?or [ˈkʲʰiːliɲ]
(i) céiluinn (MacDomhnuill 1741, 71: trosg, bodach ruadh, céiluinn ‘a cod-fish, codling or keeling’), ?for *céilinn (iii);
(ii) ceilein (Mac Farlan 1795: ‘codling’), probably for *ceileinn (céilinn);
(iii) céilinn (MacFarlane 1815: ‘large cod’), for modern orthographic cèilinn;
(iv) ceilinn (Armstrong 1825: ‘large cod-fish’, citing MacDomhnuill 1741), without lengthmark.

B. SG cèilean(n)
(i) ceilean (HSS 1828: see cìlean, citing O’Reilly 1817), ?for *cèilean ?[ˈkʲʰeːlan];
(ii) cèileann ?[ˈkʲʰeːləᵰ̪] (MacLeod and Dewar 1833: ‘large cod-fish’; Dwelly 1911, s.v. cèileann: 

Not céileann as given in AFB^˄.

see cìlean).

C. SG cìlean [ˈkʲʰiːlan]
(i) cìlean (HSS 1828: ‘large cod-fish’; M^cAlpine 1832, s.v. cilean: [kēl´-an’] ‘large cod’, Skye; MacLeod and Dewar 1833: ‘large cod-fish’; Dwelly 1911: ‘large cod-fish’, Skye; MacLennan 1925: ‘large cod’; AFB^˄: /kʲiːlan/ ‘tusk/cusk, Brosme brosme’);
(ii) cilean (Forbes 1905, 45, 356: ‘large cod’), without lengthmark.

D. SG cìlig [ˈkʲʰiːliɡ̊ʲ]
(i) ceilig (Mackay 1897, 93; Dwelly App., s.v. ceilig 

Not céilig as given in AFB^˄.

‘cod’, Sutherland), ?for cìlig (ii), perhaps *cèilig;
(ii) cìlig (HSS 1828: Sutherland; CG VI, 41: ‘rock eel’; Dwelly 1911: see cìlean; Faclan bhon t-Sluagh^˄: [ci:lʹiɡʹ], [cı:lʹıɡʹ] ‘cod’, Sutherland, [ci:lʹiɡʹ] ‘idem’, Assynt; AFB^˄: /kʲilɪgʲ/ cusk, tusk, Brosme brosme);
(iii) cilig (Forbes 1905, 45, 356: ‘large cod’; MacLennan 1925, s.v. cìlean: ‘large cod’), without lengthmark.

HSS (1828) ascribes the form ceilean (B (i)) to O’Reilly, but O’Reilly’s (1817) Irish dictionary gives ceilliuin ‘cod-fish’, itself probably an adaptation from Scottish Gaelic (cf. MacDomhnuill 1741, 71: céiluinn); at any rate, the word is otherwise apparently unknown in Irish. MacLeod and Dewar’s (1833) spelling cèileann (B (ii)) seems to be a rationalisation of HSS’s ceilean, given the previously common form cèilinn (A 2), although it seems probable that ceilean was so spelt at least partly on the analogy of cìlean (C), a form modelled on the (nominally) diminutive Gaelic suffix -an -[an]. The principal forms in Scottish Gaelic, then, appear to be firstly cìlinn (A 1) and cèilinn (A 2) (although it is possible that the latter was pronounced like the former, but spelt etymologically – see below), before being remodelled as cìlean (C), and secondly cìlig (D).

ON keila would formally be expected to yield SG *cèile *[ˈkʲʰeːlə], perhaps *cìle *[ˈkʲʰiːlə] (cf. Cox 2022, 177–78), and it seems probable that SG cìlinn (cèilinn) and cìlig are dialectal reflexes of Scots k(e)illin(g) or Eng. keeling (killing) ‘cod’.

Cf. SG farsainn ~ farsaig ‘wide’ (EG fairsing) (SGDS, Item 399).

OED^˄’s view is that Ir. ceilliuin and SG cílean [sic] are no doubt from English, but Ir. ceilliuin seems likely to be a ghost word.

Henderson’s Mx keilleig is from Cregeen’s (1835) Manx dictionary, in which the word is defined as ‘a fish called kellack or kellag’.

Cf. Y Kelly 1866: [Eng.] kellack ‘[Mx] kelleig’, ascribed to Cregeen (i.e. Cregeen’s Mx keilleig).

Among the Manx lexical items collected by Professor John Rhŷs during his research visits to the Isle of Man (1886–1893) is keilleig [kɛ'l´e:g] ‘a fish called kellag [or kellack]’ 

With his editor George Broderick’s addition in square brackets.

(Broderick 2019), with a definition redolent of Cregeen’s. Kneen’s (1904) list of Manx fish names ends with callag, keilleig, but with the English equivalent unknown. Elsewhere, Mx kellag [k´alag], [k´ɛləg] is translated as ‘brown pollock’, and Mx kellagh jiarg [k´alax d´ʒeg] as ‘red pollock’ (Broderick 1984, s.v. kellagh, kellag), in consequence of which Ó Baoill (1994, 187) applies the sense ‘pollock’ to Cregeen’s keilleig.

Cf. Moore’s (1924, s.v. callag, killick) Anglo-Manx (in the south pronounced) callag, (in the north pronounced) killick ‘the white pollock’.

While Anglo-Manx kellack, kellag, callag etc. are likely to be anglicised reflexes of Mx keilleig etc., the latter is conceivably from English, Scots or Scottish Gaelic.

OED^˄ accepts that Eng. keeling may ultimately be related to Ice. keila, but this is presumably with the addition of an ending consisting of the English suffix -ing (cf. Eng. whiting), but one, by virtue of the stem’s final lateral, analogous to the English suffix -ling (cf. Eng. codling). For Scots keelin, SND^˄ compares ON keila, and, noting SG cìlean, suggests that ON keila ‘may possibly be of Celtic origin’, but this can probably be ruled out assuming the hypothesis that SG cìlean is a Scots or English loan-word holds.