Priteni

Name

In medieval Irish writings, the plural form of the name is variously spelt Cruthin, Cruithin, or Cruithni (modern Irish: Cruithne). The singular form is Cruithen (modern Irish: Cruithean). The adjectival form is Cruithnech (modern Irish: Cruithneach), which is also used as a noun. It is thought to relate to the Irish word cruth, meaning "form, figure, shape". The name is believed to derive from *Qritani or *Quriteni, a reconstructed Goidelic/Q-Celtic version of the Brittonic/P-Celtic*Pritani or *Priteni. Ancient Greek geographer Pytheas called the Celtic Britons the Pretanoí, which became Britanni in Latin.