0817e Gwefan Cymru-
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Gwefan Cymru-Catalonia |
Adolygiad diweddaraf - latest update 16 01 2001,
2005-09-02 |
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Note:
(1) The letter 'y' is not standard - 'y' can be pronounced as [ø] (the schwa, or obscure vowel), or [i] or [ii].
The 'y' with an umlaut is used here to indicate this 'y' pronounced as [i] or [ii].
(2) Only the Welsh names are listed here. To find the Welsh name for a place
for which the English use a different name, see 0300 (Welsh
place names - English forms and native forms - Swansea > Abertawe,
etc)
(3) In the explanations, a raised circle before an initial consonant indicates
that the consonant is a mutated form - y ffordd ºlas (from glas =
green)
(4) Cross references are marked (qv) - quod vide, = which (word) see
_____________________________________________________
PROGRESS
REPORT:
200 entries
16 01 2001
170 entries 29 07 2000
156 entries 27 07 2000
135 entries 26 07 2000
122 entries 22 07 2000
109 entries 21 07 2000
aa [aa]
(1) this spelling we use here to indicate the long 'a' of
cae (field) > caa / cää
caer (fortress) > caar / cäär
dae'r (from daear = fox's earth) > daar / däär
maen (stone) > maan / mään
trae'n (from traean = a third) > traan / trään
ää [aa]
(1) this spelling we use here to indicate the long 'a' of South-east Wales (as
in English air, care, bear, etc) which correponds to the simplification aa
elsewhere in South Wales, and the diphthong 'ae' in standard Welsh.
Certain English spellings of Welsh place names in south-east Wales indicate
this pronunciation - Aberdare, representing Aber-däär (standard
Aber-dâr); Lisvane = Llys-fään (standard Llys-faen = stone court; in
Caer-dydd county), Y Gäär (local pronunciation of places called Y Gaer =
the fort)
Aberystwyth [a ber Ø stuith]
A town (SN 5881) in the
aber Ystwyth - (the) mouth (of) (the) (river) Ystwyth
In modern Welsh, ystwyth means 'flexible'. In the case of the river, it
means 'winding, having many bends'. The present town is not in fact at the
original estuary of the Ystwyth. This was 2 km outside the town to the south.
Here a Norman castle was built in 1110. A century later, in 1211, it was
rebuilt on a new site at the mouth of the river Rheidol, but the name was
preserved, and the town grew up around the
Aberdaugleddau [a ber dai GLE dhe]
aber dau ºGleddau - {the} mouth {of} {the} two {rivers called} Cleddau.
English name:
Welsh cleddyf = sword. In Sir Benfro (English: Pembrokeshire) there are
two rivers - Cleddy Wen (white Cleddy, or white sword) and Cleddy Ddu
(black). In colloquial Welsh since the 1200s the final [v] sound in words of
two or more syllables has been dropped, hence cleddyf > cleddy. The use of
'sword' is explained either because the river glints in the sunlight, or it
cuts through the land like a sword - probably the latter. The word cleddy(f)
is a masculine noun, but river names are feminine nouns - so we have Cleddy Wen
(instead of Cleddy Gwyn; the feminine form of the adjective is used - gwen,
with the soft mutation of the initial gwen > wen) and Cleddy Ddu
(instead of Cleddy Du; there is soft mutation of the initial du > ddu)
A variant of cleddyf is cleddau, which is used for the name of
the estuary - dau Gleddau - {the} two {rivers called} Cleddau or
Cleddyf. Compare the river name Gele (gele is an obsolete word for
sword, sword-blade, spear).
Afon Fach [A von VAAKH]
yr afon fach = the little river
Name of a river in Cwm Hyfryd (Patagonia)
Afon-fach [A von VAAKH]
yr afon fach = the little river
street name in Y Pîl (county of Pen-y-bont ar Ogwr)
Afon Lerpwl [A von LER pul]
Vegeu Lerpwl
Awst [aust] (pronounced as the English word 'oust')
(1) August
(2) Calan Awst = Lammas, (Webster's Dictionary: A former festival held in
England on August 1, in which bread from the first harvest of corn was blessed)
Heol Awst = (the) street (of) (the) Lammas (festival)
"The older names of the streets have their Welsh equivalents; as, Heol
y Prior (the prior's street), Heol y Brenin, Heol Spilman, Heol y Bont, Heol y
Cai, Heol Dwr, Heol Awst (Calan Awst being the Welsh term for Lammas-day),
while the newer streets are spoken of in Welsh under their English names;
indicating a greater prevalence of Welsh in the town in former years. William
Spurrell,
Bae Caerdydd [bai KAIR diidh] = {the} bay {of} Caerdydd, "
banad [BA nad] A form of banadl = broom bushes. The loss of a final
-l after another consonant in polysyllabes is typical of colloquial Welsh -
other examples are (1) perygl (danger) > peryg, (2) posibl (possible) >
posib.
banadl [BA na døl] (plural noun)
(1) broom bushes; plural of banhadlen = broom bnush. Variants are banad
(qv), banal (qv)
banal [BA nal] southern form of banadl. The 'd' becomes 'dd'
and is then lost (banadl > banaddl > bana'l). The change of d >
dd before certain consonants is usual in the south - (1) bodlon (content)
> boddlon > bo'lon, (2) gwadn (= sole of the foot) >
gwaddn > gwaddan, (3) chwedl (= tale) > chweddl > chweddel
> weddal, (4) cenedl (nation) > ceneddl > cenel
(used as a disrespectful term for a person)
banalog [ba NA log]
(1) adjective = broom-covered, abundant in broom bushes
(2) noun = place of broom bushes.
This is a southern form of banhadlog. In the south one form of banadl is
banal (qv). The 'h' is generally absent in the Welsh of South-east Wales, so
banhalog > banalog.
Example: Teras Banalog, a street name in Markham (Caerffili)
Ban-gor [BANG gor]
This spelling (Ban-gor) was used by Emrys ap Iwan for
barics [BA riks] (m)
(1) barracks (for soldiers)
(2) lodgings for mine workers (eg lead miners in Ceredigion in the 1800s)
Basaleg [ba SA leg] (feminine noun) '{the} church'.
This is a village (ST 2787) in the
Gwernyclepa, a mansion in Basaleg, was the court of Ifor Hael ("generous
Ifor"), a by-name of Ifor ap Llywelyn, who lived in the 1300s and was
chief patron of Dafydd ap Gwilym,
In Ty-du (
Beilïau Fawr [bei LI e VAUR]
(1) name of a farm (SO4211) in the
(y) beiliau = (the) forecourts. ºFawr = greater, used to
distinguish farms of the same name
Beili-glas [beil li GLAAS]
(y) beili glas = (the) green forecourt
(1) a street name in Casllwchwr (Abertawe) (SS 5798);
(2) Heol Beili-glas (= heol y beili glas) : street name in Tre-lyn
(Caerffili) ("Beili-glas road")
bellaf [BE lhav, BE lha]
Soft-mutated form of pellaf, the most distant, the furthest (from a
parish church). Used in farm names. Superlative form of pell = distant.
In Abertawe there is Heol Goetre Bellaf (heol y goetref bellaf, the road of
Goetref Bellaf farm, 'the furthest 'Goetref'. Coetref is 'house in the wood'.)
betws [BE tus] (m) chapel of ease; a church within a parish which is
secondary to the parish church, often in a remote part of a parish.i From
Middle English bed-hus 'prayer house', a combination of <beed> (bead) and
<huus> (house). Modern English 'bead' was originally 'one of the small
balls making up a rosary and representing a prayer'; and before this, the
prayer itself (as in modern German das Gebiet = prayer).
BG - abbrevation used here for the county of Blaenau Gwent
bid [biid] (feminine noun)
(1) (South Wales) quickset hedge; in the south, 'to plash a hedge' is 'bido
clawdd' or 'bido perth'
The plural form is bidiau [BID ye]
After a definite article a feminine noun has a soft-mutated initial - y ºfid
= the hedge.
Occurs in many farm names - Glyn-y-fid (the valley of the hedge), Pant-y-fid
(the hollow of the hedge), Twyn y Fid Ffawydd (the hill of the beech hedge), y
Fid-las (the green hedge)
BM - abbrevation used here for the county of Bro Morgannwg
Y Bont-ddu [ø bont DHII]
(1) village near Dolgellau
(y) ºbont ºddu = {the} black bridge; (pont = bridge, du =
black)
Y Bont-faen [ø bont VAIN] (as in English 'grapevine')
(1) town in Bro Morgannwg, South-east Wales.
(y) ºbont ºfaen = {the} stone bridge; (pont = bridge, maen =
stone)
It is spelt as one word because it is a settlement name; as the name of a
bridge the elements are spelt separately (Y Bont Faen). Called by the English
"Cowbridge". In
Y Bontnewydd [ø bont NEU idh]
(1) village near Caernarfon
(y) ºbont newydd = {the} new bridge; (pont = bridge)
Y Bontuchel [ø bont I khel]
(1) village near Rhuthun
(y) ºbont uchel = {the} high bridge; (pont = bridge)
Bro Wenog [broo WE nog]
(1) lower part of the parish of Llanwenog (Ceredigion)
bro ºWenog = {the} lowland {of} Gwenog (with the use of the saint's name
- Gwenog - instead the parish name - Llanwenog, (the) church (of) Wenog).
The nickname for the inhabitants of this district is (or was) Gwyddelod Bro
Wenog ("Llysenwau", Cymru 1892). The author of the article explains
it thus: "[mae] yn dod i lawr, efallai, o'r amser pan oedd dwy genedl yn y
plwyf amryddawn hwnnw" - it comes down, maybe, from the time when there
were two nations in that multi-talanted parish." Many centuries back there
were Irish colonies along the west coast of
Bron-y-de [bron ø DEE]
(1) district of Bangor (Gwynedd)
bron y de = {the} hill {of} the south, south hill
bryn dioddef [brin di O dhe]
gallow's hill,'tyburn'; literally 'hill {of} suffering'
Bryndioddef [brin di O dhe]
(the) gallow's hill; place in Llanbedr Pont Steffan (county of Ceredigion)
Bryneglwys [brin E gluis]
hill (of the) church. A village (SJ 1447) by Corwen in Sir Ddinbych (county in
the north-east)
Bryngolau [brin GO le]
y bryn golau - the light / sunny hill.
Street name in various places (1) Pen-y-bont ar Ogwr (county of same name), (2)
Casllwchwr (county of Abertawe), (3) Tonypandy (county of Rhondda Cynon Taf),
(4) Yr Allt-wen (county of Abertawe), etc
Bryn-gwyn [brin GWIN]
y bryn gwyn - {the} white hill
(1) (SO 1489) hamlet in the southern part of the county of Powys (north of Y
Gelligandryll / English: Hay-on-Wye),
(2) locality in Dyffryn Camwy ('valley of the river Camwy'), Patagonia
(translated into Castilian as Loma Blanca)
Brynsyfi [brin SØ vi]
bryn y syfi - {the} hill {of} {the} strawberries, strawberry hill.
Syfien is the southern word for strawberry, with equivalents in Cornish sevienn
and Breton sivienn. The northern word (which is also the standard Welsh word)
is mefusen, plural mefus
A street name in the county of Abertawe
Bryn-teg [brin TEEG]
(1) a village in Gwynedd
(1) a village by Wrecsam
(y) bryn teg - {the} fair hill; bryn = hill, teg = fair
It is spelt as one word because it is a settlement name; as the name of a
hill the elements are spelt separately (Bryn Teg)
Buellt [BI elht]
Buellt was one of the commote (subdivisions) of Brycheiniog. It means 'cow
pasture' (it is composed of two elements which in modern Welsh would be 'bu-'
= cow, and 'gellt' = grass).
In today's Welsh the root 'bu-' is found in the modern word for 'cow' - 'buwch'
- and in the compound form 'buarth' - farmyard, literally 'cow
enclosure' (bu + soft mutation + garth).
'Gellt' has become 'gwellt' in modern Welsh (probably in imitation of
the initial gw- in the word 'gwair' = 'hay'in Cambro-British or early
Welsh). In Cornish too it has a 'w' - 'gwels' - probably for the same
reason ('hay' is 'goera', originally also with 'w'). In Breton it is 'geot'
without a 'w'. Nowadays 'gwellt' means straw rather than grass.
The corresponding forms in modern Irish are bó = cow, geilt (a
literary word) = grazing
The town of
It is called by the English "Builth" [bilth] - this is a
centuries-old distortion in English of Buellt. "Wells" [welz] was
added in the 1800s to attract tourists to its chalybeate springs.
The Polden Hills in
beuellt [BEI elht], but it has the same meaning - cow pasture).
Y Bwrtwe [BURT we]
The name of the section of road from Caer-dydd to Y Bont-faen (Cowbridge) (in
fact, this is part of the Roman road from Glevum, present-day
y ºbwrtwe = adaptation of English 'portway' = 'main road, road between
market towns'. As most nouns indicating roads are feminine in Welsh, 'pwrtwe'
too is treated as feminine in Welsh. In 'Cardiff Records' (1889-1911) (John
Hobson Mathews, Mab Cernyw) notes a barn in Sain Nicolas called Ysgubor y
Bwrtwe “(the) barn (of) the portway”), in 1763 recorded as "Skybbor y
Bwrtway".
Cae-go [kai GOO] (oo = a long 'o' sound, as in 'door', or Northern English
'stone')
(1) village by Wrecsam
cae (y) gof = {the} field {of} the smith. In
Caer-dydd [kair DIIDH]
A city (ST 2175) in
MEANING: Originally it was Caer-dyf [kair DIIV], caer ºdyf, (the)
(Roman) fort (by) (the river) Taf, caer = fort, Taf = a river
name. The English name Cardiff is based on Caer-dyf - caer in the south
is pronounced as caar (as in English 'car'), and in the south-east it later
(?1700s) became 'cäär' (as in English care), which explains why the first
element is 'Car-' and probably why in the local English dialect of Caer-dydd
the city is called 'Kerdiff', and other 'aa' words are 'ää', as in the
traditional Welsh dialect here, now all but lost.
When the name was Englished [KAA-dif], the stress was moved to the first
syllable, which is the usual place for the stressed accent in English; the
vowel of [diiv] became short; and the [v] became [f]. The same happens with the
river name - Taf [taav] is called by the English Taff. The 'r' sound is lost in
the English pronunciation used locally, in common with standard southern
English pronunciation. In the neighbouring English counties, the 'r' is
generally pronounced before a consonant, as in American English, and people
from here say [KAAR dif].
The reason forTyf rather than Taf in the name is because it represents
an old British form, where the genitive was expressed by a case ending -i, as
in Latin. So (simplifying the explanation)
*tavi became *tiv- / *tiiv- in Welsh because the final i changed the quality of
the preceding 'a'.
Soft mutation is general after caer - though it probably results from the
changeover of a compound name from British to Welsh, rather than a structure in
Welsh (caer + soft mutation + qualifying noun). Other caer names
with mutation are Caerfyrddin (caer ºfyrddin, < Myrddin) ("Carmarthen"),
Caer-went (caer ºWent, < Gwent), Caerliwelydd (caer ºLiwelydd, <
Lliwelydd) ("Carlisle"), etc
The standard spelling is "Caerdydd", though more correctly, as the
final monosyllable bears the accent, it should be preceded by a hyphen, but it
is one of a number of exceptions to the rule (which thus makes the rule
unserviceable!) permitted by the Bwrdd Gwybodau Celtaidd / Board of Celtic
Studies in its list of recommended spellings for Welsh-language place names.
See also Cayr Dyf.
Caledfryn [ka LED vrin]
'hard hill'. (caled + soft mutation + bryn). Caledfryn was the pen name of
William Williams (1801-69) who was born in Brynyffynnon, Sir Ddinbych. After
studying at
Cayr Dyf [kair DIIV]
Cayr Dyf - spelling used by Emrys ap Iwan for Caerdydd (city in
south-east Wales)
Cayrnarfon [kair NAR von]
Cayrnarfon - spelling used by Emrys ap Iwan for Caernarfon (town in
north-west Wales)
Cefn Gweunllwg [KE ven GWEIN lhug]
cefn Gweunllwg - (the) ridge (of) Gweunllwg. English name: Wenlock Edge. A
ridge in Swydd Amwythig running from south-west to north-east from Craven Arms
to Much Wenlock
ceubren [KEI bren]
ceu ºbren - hollow tree (ceu- is the penult form of cau = hollow; pren =
tree. The adjective before the noun causes the soft mutation). See Rhyd y
Ceubren
clafdy [KLAV di] (m)
infirmary (from claf = sick person, ty = house). There is a
Cwrtyclafdy {the} court {of} the infirmary in Sgiwen. In some place names
though it is a remodelling of clafrdy (qv) = pest house, lazaretto
clafrdy [KLAVR di] (m)
pest house, lazaretto - an isolation hospital for people with infectious
diseases or leprosy (clafr = leprosy). In place names though it has
become clafdy, as in Rhydyclafdy, of which there are two examples - one
(SH 3234) by Pwllheli, and another by Cemais in Môn, both of which were
originally Rhydyclafrdy
CNA - abbrevation used here for the county of Castell-nedd ac
Aberafan
Cnafron [KNAV ron]
a local form of Caernarfon
Cobol [KO bol]
Welsh spelling and pronunciation for the acronym COBOL [KOU bol], defined in
the Collin's Dictionary as: "a high-level computer programming language
designed for general commercial use". From the first syllables or initals
of the words in the expression Common Business Oriented Language.
See Heol Cobol
coch [kookh] (adjective)
(1) red.
After a feminine noun it has a soft-mutated initial - (y) ºbont ºgoch =
{the} red bridge; (pont = bridge)
See Ty-coch
Coed-ffranc
coed y Ffranc - (the) wood (of) the Norman
(1) name of a parish in Castell-nedd, named after the Norman founder of
the abbey at Mynachlog-nedd
(2) John Hobson Mathews (Mab Cernyw) in 'Cardiff Records' (1889-1911), notes a
place of the same name 'north-east of Pen-y-lan' (in Caer-dydd) which he
translates as 'the Frenchman's wood'.
Coed Morgannwg [koid mor GA nug]
{the} wood / forest {of} Morgannwg - name given to an extensive softwood
forestry plantation in south-east Wales
croes [krois] (feminine noun)
(1) cross
The plural form is croesau [KROI se]
After a definite article a feminine noun has a soft-mutated initial - y
ºgroes = the cross. In South Wales the diphthong oe becomes a long vowel oo
in monosyllables: croes > croos
Costa Jeriátrica [KO stø je ri A tri ka]
Nickname for the North Wales coast where many elderly people, mostly from
Northern England, have come to live after retirement (in imitation of names on
the Mediterranean coast, such as Catalan Costa Brava (wild coast),
Castilian Costa del Sol (coast of the sun)
crwn [krun] (adjective)
Round. The feminine form is cron, hence Waun-gron = round meadow
cryw [kriu] (masculine noun)
(1) stepping stones
See Rhyd-cryw
Cwmderi [kum DE ri]
Name of a fictional village in which the long-running Welsh TV soap opera Pobl
y Cwm - (the) people (of) the valley - is set. The name is cwm y deri -
(the) valley (of) the oak trees - deri is a typical southern form. A map of the
mythical village in "Blas ar Iaith Pobol Y Cwm" (a taste of the
language of Pobol y Cwm) by Robyn Lewis (Robyn Llyn) , (publisher:) Gwasg
Carreg Gwalch, 1993, has it located between Caerfyrddin ("
cwter [KU ter] (feminine noun)
(1) gutter, channel, stream, ditch, drain
After a definite article a feminine noun has a soft-mutated initial - y
ºgwter = the gutter
From English gutter, Old French goutière (modern French gouttière
= gutter, drainpipe) < goute = drop of liquid < Latin gutta =
a drop). The word for river (afon) is feminine, as too is the word for
stream in modern Welsh (nant), and names of rivers and streams (Taf
Fawr = greater Taf, Rhondda Fach = lesser Rhondda, etc). So it was
assumed when this word was taken into Welsh that the inital g- was a
soft-mutation on c after the definite article, and that the base form
was cwter.
See Y Gwter, Y Gwter-fawr.
ddu [dhii] (adjective)
Soft-mutated form of du = black
De [dee] (masculine noun)
south
See Bron-y-de, Traeth y De
derlwyn [DER luin] (masculine noun)
(1) oak grove, oak wood
derlwyn < der'lwyn <derwlwyn, which is (derw = oak trees) + soft
mutation + (llwyn = wood, grove). In pre-modern Welsh, the 'w' was a consonant;
now it is a vowel in the word 'derw' (and so this is a two-syllable word); put
in compound words the 'w' is still a consonant, and 'derw' is a monosyllable;
in nouns of this type, the 'w' is lost.
dew [deu] (adjective)
soft-mutated form of tew = fat, lush.
dre [dree] (feminine noun)
Soft-mutated form of tre = 'trêv', farmstead
y ºdre ºfach = the little farmstead
Y Drenewydd [ø dree NEU idh]
(1) y ºdref newydd = the new 'trêv'. Sometimes a translation of the
English name
(a) Y Drenewydd - a district in the old cantrev of Gwynllw^g, now part of the
county of Caer-dydd; 2km south-east of Tredelerch, Caer-dydd
(b) See Y Drenewydd yn Notais
Y Drenewydd yn Notais [ø dree NEU idh]
the 'drenewydd' in Notais; y ºdref newydd = the new 'trêv', and Notais is a
neighbouring village; both Y Drenewydd and Notais are now part of the seaside
town of Porth-cawl. The English name is 'Newton Nottage'. The short name is
simply 'Y Drenewydd'. The village is mentioned in a triban (a popular verse
form at one time common in part of south-east
Tri pheth wi'n garu beunydd / yw digon o lawenydd / mynych dramwy yn ddi-ble /
a ienctyd y Drenewydd
(There are) three things I like daily, are enough merriment, wandering often
without any destination, and the young people of Drenewydd)
du [dii] (adjective)
(1) black.
After a feminine noun it has a soft-mutated initial - (y) ºbont ºddu =
{the} black bridge; (pont = bridge)
Place
eglwys ºWynllyw - (the) church (of) Gwynllyw. Gwynllyw was a local
ruler, son of Glywys.
The English name is a translation (= St. Woolo's church), with the name
peculiarly corrupted - the form with the soft mutation after 'eglwys' has been
understood as the base form in English, instead of the correct base form
Gwynllyw.
faen [vain] (as in English 'grapevine')
The noun maen = stone is sometimes used as an adjective; after a
feminine noun it has a soft-mutated initial - (y) ºbont ºfaen = {the}
stone bridge (pont = bridge); (y) llys ºfaen = {the} stone court
(llys = court)
felen [VE len] (adjective)
Soft-mutated form of melen, the feminine form of the adjective melyn =
yellow
ffawydd [FAU idh] (plural noun)
beech trees, beeches
See Twyn y Fid Ffawydd
Ffordd Las [fordh LAAS]
(1) the name of a street in Abertawe
(2) a street name in Radur (Caerdydd);
(y) ffordd ºlas - {the} green road; glas = green
As it is a non-settlement name the elements are spelt separately (Ffordd Las).
When it is a settlement name it is spelt as one word (Ffordd-las)
Ffortran [FOR tran]
Welsh spelling for the acronym FORTRAN, defined in the Collin's Dictionary as:
"a high-speed computer programming language for mathematical and
scientific purposes, designed to facilitate and speed up the solving of complex
problems". From the first syllables of the words in the expression FORMula
TRANslation.
See Heol Ffortran
Ffordd-las [fordh LAAS]
(1) a village (SJ 3059) 1 km north-west of Yr Hob (Sir y Fflint)
(y) ffordd ºlas - {the} green road; glas = green.
It is spelt as one word because it is a settlement name (Ffordd-las); as a road
name the elements are spelt separately (Ffordd Las)
ffranc [frangk]
Norman
Originally Frank = member of a Germanic nation which in the sixth century
conquered Gaul, a Romanized Celtic province,
In Welsh France is Ffrainc, literally 'Francs' (i.e. the plural form of Franc)
A Frenchman is Francwr (franc + -wr = man). The plural form is Ffrancwyr
(-wyr = men), although at times Ffrancod is also used (also,
literally: Frank)
See Coed-ffranc
Ffynnongroyw [FØ non GRO iu]
y ffynnon ºgroyw - {the} sweet-water spring or well. Croyw = fresh, non-saline
(of water)
Name of a village (SJ 1382) in Sir y Fflint
Ffynnon y Gog [FØ non ø GOOG]
ffynnon y ºgog = cuckoo well, {the} well {of} the cuckoo. (cog is
a feminine noun, = cuckoo).
This is the name of various wells in the south. In fact, the meaning is really
'dry well'. Coeg is 'blind' or when applied to a well or spring, 'dry'.
Colloquially in the South oe in monosyllables becomes oo. So coeg
becomes coog, giving Ffynnon Goog. (Ffynnon is a feminine noun,
so a following adjective has a soft-mutated initial). It is common in Welsh for
a linking definite article to be dropped, so it was assumed that Ffynnon Goog
was in fact Ffynnon y Gog. (Gog and goog are pronounced the
same).
As it is a non-settlement name the elements are spelt separately (Ffynnon y
Gog). When it is a settlement name it is spelt as one word (Ffynnon-y-gog)
Ffynnon-y-gog [FØ non ø GOOG]
(1) the name of a farm in Aberpennar (RCT)
See the explanation in the preceding entry.
It is spelt as one word because it is a settlement name; as the name of a well
name the elements are spelt separately (Ffynnon y Gog)
fid [viid] (feminine noun)
Soft-mutated form of bid = quickset hedge, hawthorn hedge
Fishwel [VISH wel]
See Heol Fishwel
Fronhafren [vron HAV ren]
(1) the name of a street in Y Drenewydd (Powys)
ºfron Hafren - hill (overlooking) (the) (river) Hafren. In English, this
is known as the
This is probably because it occurs as ºfron after the definite article
in so many place names (Y Fronheulog, etc), and in the spoken language it would
be used most often with the definite article, that ºfron has come to be
regarded as the radical form.
As it is a street name imitating a settlement name it is spelt as one word. If
it were a hill name it would be Fron Hafren.
-fryn [vrin]
Soft-mutated form of bryn = hill
(1) in a compound word after a qualifying element: Glasfryn = green hill,
Awelfryn = wind + hill ('windy hill')
Y Ganolfan [ø ga NOL van]
(1) The name of the shopping centre in Dowlais (MT). In other places in the
south-east the English name "The Precinct" has been used - (i)
Pen-y-bont ar Ogwr (PBO), (ii) Llanilltud Fawr (BM), (iii) Porth (RCT)
y ºganolfan - the centre; canolfan = centre
Gibwn [GI bun]
Cymricisation of the English surname Gibbon. In 'Cardiff Records'
(1889-1911) (John Hobson Mathews, Mab Cernyw) notes a place called Tir Gruffudd
Gibwn - "Tir-Gruffydd-Gibwn (Griffith Gibbon's land). A tenement in the
parish of Saint Fagan {Sain Ffagan} and lordship of Miscyn {Meisgyn}, named
after a member of the ancient Norman-Welsh family which formerly possessed
Saint Fagan's Castle".
Glanmorlais [glan MOR les]
'(the) bank (of) (the) Morlais (stream)' (Morlais = 'big stream'; mawr = big,
glais = stream).
Place name in Merthyrtudful
Glan-môr [glan MOOR]
Common house name and street name
glan y môr = {the} edge {of} the sea; seaside. The linking definite
article is omitted in many place names.
Glanmorfa [glan MOR va]
(1) Street name in Tre-gwyr (Abertawe)
glan y morfa = {the} edge {of} the sea fen. The linking definite article
has been lost, which happens in many place names.
glas [glaas] (adjective)
(1) (vegetation) green.
(2) otherwise: blue.
After a feminine noun it has a soft-mutated initial - (y) ffordd ºlas =
{the} green road
Glyndyfrdwy [glin DØ vør dui]
Village (SJ 1542) near Corwen
{the} valley {of} {the river} Dyfrdwy. (The English call this river 'the
go [goo] (masculine noun)
Northern form of gof = smith
See Cae-go
goch [gookh] (adjective)
Soft-mutated form of coch = red
-goed [gôid]
Soft-mutated form of coed = wood
(1) in a compound word after a qualifying element: Glasgoed = green wood,
Llwytgoed = grey wood, Trawsgoed = cross wood (wood across a valley, etc),
Hirgoed = long wood
(2) as a qualifying element, after a feminine noun: Tre-goed = the trêv
(homestead) of the wood, Llangoed (originally Llan-goed) = the church of the
wood
gof [goov] (masculine noun)
Smith, blacksmith, shoesmith. In the north the form without a final [v] is used
- go.
See Cae-go
gogof [GO gov] (femenine noun)
Plural form: gogofau [go GO ve]
Cave. This is the historical form. In modern Welsh ogof (the soft-mutated form
has become the radical form). In Cornish it is gogo, which is the origin
of the word gug = cave in the English dialect of
Gogofau [go GO ve]
Caves. A district (SN 6640) in Sir Gaerfyrddin
golau [GO le]
1 light
2 sunlit, sunny
Ychydig gyda milltir o bentref Llangynan ar un o lechweddau
prydferthaf y plwyf, yng nghysgod y mynyddoedd, y safai hen amaethdy mawr a
elwid Hafod Oleu, ac ni fu un anneddle erioed yn fwy cydweddol a'i enw, Hafod
Oleu oedd mewn gwirionedd. O godiad haul hyd ei fachludiad mwynhai yr Hafod ei
wres a'i belydrau. Wynebai y ty^ tua'r gorllewin, a throai ei gefn at y
dwyrain, ac er gwaethaf yr helaethrwydd o goed ffrwythau yn y berllan yr ochr
ddeheuol i'r Hafod, a'r derw a'r ffawydd cyd-rhyngddo a gwynt y gogledd, ,
mynnai yr haul dywynnu ar ryw ran o hono trwy gydol y dydd. Tudalennau 12-13 PLANT Y GORTHRWM
About a mile from the village of Llangynan on
one of the most beautiful slopes of the parish, in the shelter of the
mountains, stood the old farm called Hafod Oleu (= Hafodolau, sunny / sunlit
summer farm), and there was never a dwelling which better suited it name, it
was indeed a sunlit summer farm. From the rising of the sun to its setting the
summer farm enjoyed its heat and its rays. The house faced west, and its back
was turned towards the east, and in spite of teh abundance of fruit trees in
the orchard on the southern side of the Hafod, and the oaks and the beech trees
between it and the north wind, the sun insistently shone on some part of it
throughout the day.
Plant y Gorthrwm (= the children of the
oppression) / Gwyneth Vaughan, 1908 (= Anne Harriet Hughes 1852-1910)
groes [grois] (feminine noun)
Soft-mutated form of croes = cross
gron [krun] (adjective)
Soft-mutated form of crwn = round
Y Gweithiau [ø GWEITH ye]
In colloquial southern Welsh it is Y Gweithe [GWEI the, GWII the], or in the
south-east Y Gweitha / Y Gwiitha [GWEI tha, GWII tha] - literally 'the works',
that is, the ironworks which were opened in the late 1700s at the heads of the
south-eastern valleys. The name later referred to the industrial valleys of the
south-east in general after iron working at the valley tops gave way to coal
mining in the valleys themselves. (One term for a coal mine is 'gwaith glo',
the coal works).
gwen [gwen] (feminine adjective)
White. See gwyn
gwerdd [gwerdh] (feminine adjective)
Green. See gwyrdd
Gweunllwg [GWEIN lhug]
Wenlock - village in Swydd Amwythig (
Derivation - ?
See Cefn Gweunllwg
Gwrecsam [GWREK sam]
An archaic Welsh form of the place name Wrecsam. The name Wrecsam is from
English, and English loans with an initial w- usually acquired a g- in Welsh.
In the 1970s there was a debate about what the correct Welsh name for the city
was. Nowadays it is always Wrecsam in Welsh, though sometimes in writing in the
1800s and 1900s Gwrecsam was preferred as it made the name seem less strange in
Welsh.
gwter [gu ter] (feminine noun)
Soft-mutated form of cwter = stream, drain;
Y Gwter [ø GU ter]
Street name in central Caerdydd (English name: Golate). It originally went down
from Heol Eglwys Fair (
y ºgwter - the stream, the drain; cwter = stream, drain
Y Gwter-fawr [ø GU ter VAUR]
the big stream / gutter
y ºgwter ºfawr - (cwter = stream, drain; mawr = big)
The old name for Brynaman
gwyn [gwin] (adjective)
(1) white.
There is a feminine form gwen. After a feminine noun it has a
soft-mutated initial - (y) ºbont ºwen = {the} white bridge; (pont =
bridge)
Gwynllw^g [gwøn LHUUG]
Defined in 'Cardiff Records' (1889-1911) (John Hobson Mathews, Mab Cernyw) as:
A hundred and lordship in south-west Monmouthshire, lying along the
According to Melville Richards (Enwau Tir a Gwlad, 1998 - a compendium of short
articles on place names written between 1967 and 1970) Gwynllyw was son of the
king Glywys, whose territory was called Glywysing (-ing is a suffix denoting
territory). Gwynllyw inherited part of this territory, which became known as
Gwynllywiog (-iog is also a suffix denoting territory) and later became
Gwynllw^g. The English name Wentloog is apparently from the soft-mutated form
Wynllwg; or else the initial Gw- was considered Welsh, but initial W- was
considered English (since many English words and names with initial w- taken
into Welsh were altered to gw- : widow > gwidw, etc. The English name also
shows interference from the name Gwent.
Gwynllyw founded a church in what is today Casnewydd - Eglwyswynllyw - called
by the English "St. Woolos" (= St. Woolo's church").
Gwynllyw
South-eastern ruler - see Gwynllw^g
gwyrdd [gwirdh] (adjective)
(1) green
There is a feminine form gwerdd. After a feminine noun it has a
soft-mutated initial - (y) ºddôl ºwerdd = {the} green meadow; (dôl =
meadow)
Heol Awst [heul AUST] - see Awst
Heol Beili-glas [heul beil li GLAAS] - see Beili-glas
Heol Cobol [heul KO bol]
In fact, officially 'Cobol Road', at Parc Busnes Llaneirwg ("St. Mellon's
Business Park") in Caer-dydd. See Cobol in this list (= a computer
language)
Heol Ffortran [heul FOR tran]
In fact, officially '
Heol Fishwel [heul VISH wel]
(1) the name of street in Gwenfô ("Vishwell Street")
From a farm name 'fish well' - the English spoken in this part was the same as
in south-western England, where initial [f] was pronounced [v]
Heol y Bont [heul ø BONT]
heol y ºbont - (the) street (of) the bridge. (pont = bridge).
Common street name - e.g. Aberystwyth
Heol y Fid-las [heul ø viid LAAS]
The name of a street in Caer-dydd
heol y ºfid ºlas - {the} road {of} the (?the house / farm called)
Fid-las. This is 'green hedge' - bid = hedge, glas = green
Heol y Fro [heul ø VROO]
heol y ºfro - {the} street {of} the vale - that is, Bro Morgannwg, the
Vale of Glamorgan.
(1) Street name in Llanilltud Fawr (BM),
(2) Street name in Gartholwg (RCT)
Heol y Gamlas [heul ø GAM las]
heol y ºgamlas - {the} road / street {of} the canal. Camlas =
canal
(1) a street name in Pont-ty-pridd
hir [hiir] (adjective)
(1) long
Usually after a noun -
Y Bont Hir (name of a bridge) (y) ºbont hir = {the} long bridge; (pont
= bridge);
Sometimes before a noun (hir + gwaun) = hirwaun. See below
Hirwaun [HIR wain] (hi- as in English hit, him, his, etc; wain as in
English 'wine, whine')
(1) village by Aber-dâr
{yr} hir ºwaun = {the} long moor. Gwaun [gwain] is moor, mountain
pasture. An adjective placed before a noun causes the soft mutation of the
consonant in the following noun - so (hir + gwaun) = (hir waun). A standard
colloquial form would be "Hirwen" [HIR wen]. In the final syllable
'au' is pronounced 'e' in general colloquial Welsh, though in this particular
area 'i' is also possible - to give 'Hirwin'. The 'h' is generally lost in
traditional south-eastern Welsh > 'Irwin. And sometimes the stressed
syllable is reduced to an obscure vowel, so Yrwin is a possible local form -
which is in fact how English-speakers here generally pronounce it.
hyfryd [HØ vrid] (adjective)
(1) pleasant
Normally follows a noun
Maeshyfryd (house name, district name) (y) maes hyfryd = {the} pleasant
field; (maes = field)
Iorath [YO rath]
South-eastern form of the forename Iorwerth. Often in anglicised or half
anglicised forms of place names it is written erroniously with a 'Y' - Yorath.
It is also a surname with this spelling in the south-east.
iorwg [YÔ rug] (
las [laas] (adjective)
Soft-mutated form of glas = green / blue
lefel [lLE vel] (f) coal level - excavation made by driving
horizontally into a coal seam in a hillside; Tai-lefel-lo, Rhymni - {the}
houses {of} the coal level (from English level, from Old French (1300s) livel,
from a supposed Vulgar Latin *lîbellum = a plummet, a weight; a
diminutive of lîbra = a balance, scales
Lerpwl [LER pul]
Liverpool. The Welsh name is in fact an older English name for the city:
Lerpool. The city is jocularly known as 'Prifddinas Gogledd Cymru' (the capital
of
Llannach-medd [lhan akh MEEDH]
The local pronunciaiton of Llannerch-y-medd in the county of Môn
Llandre [LHAN dre]
See Llanfihangel Genau'r Glyn
Llanfair Muallt [LHAN vair MI alht]
A colloquial form of Llanfair ym Muallt
Llanfair ym Muallt [LHAN vair øm MI alht]
A town (S0 0450) in the county of Powys.
MEANING: (the) Llanfair (in) (the commote of) Buellt.
llan ºFair is the 'church (of) Mary' (llan = church, Mair = the Virgin
Mary)
As Mair was a frequent dedication, it was usual to differentiate places called
Llanfair by means of a tag. Here the commote (cwmwd) name is used. See Buellt.
A colloquial form is Llanfair Muallt -
Yn Llanfairmuallt y mae rhai hen weddiwyr hyawdl yn dal i gyfarch gorsedd gras
yn Gymraeg, ond
{TRANSLATION: In Llanfair ym Muallt some eloquent old worshippers still use
Welsh in the chapel services (literally: greet the throne of grace in Welsh),
but the children don't know what they are saying. 'To restore the native
language', an article in "Cymru", Volume 38, May 1910,}
Llanfihangel Genau'r Glyn [lhan vi HA ngel GE ner GLIN]
A village in the
MEANING: (the) Llanfihangel (in) (the commote of) Genau'r Glyn
Llanfihangel = (the) church (of) Michael the (arch)angel, Genau'r Glyn = (the) mouth
(of (the) valley
News item in "Y Cymro"
Brwydro dros hen enw
Fighting for an old name
Mae brwydr un dyn, dros ddegawd i ddiogelu hen
enw un o bentrefi gogledd Ceredigion wedi ei hennill.
One man's fight over a decade to
safeguard the old name o one of the villages of north Ceredigion has been won
Mae'r pentref sydd bum milltir i'r gogledd o
Aberystwyth wedi ei enwi yn Llandre ers dechrau'r ganrif ond yr wythnos hon
codwyd arwydd newydd ar ffinaiu'r pentref sy'n cydnabod yr hen enw ar y lle -
Llanfihangel Genau'r Glyn.
The village, which is five miles north
of Aberystwyth has been called Llandre since the beginning of the century but
this week a new sign was erected on the boundaries of the village which
recognises the place's old name - Llanfihangel Genau'r Glyn {The Llanfihangel
in the cwmwd of Genau'r Glyn. Llanfihangel is (the) church (of) Michael
(arch)angel; Genau'r Glyn is (the) mouth (of) the valley)
"Mae hyn yn newyddion ardderchog gan fod yr enw Llandre yn gwbl
ddiystyr," medd Wynne Melville Jones sydd wedi byw yn y gymuned ers 25
mlynedd ac sydd wedi arwain ymgyrch dros ddeng mlynedd i adfer yr hen enw ar y
pentref.
"This is splendid news because the
name Llandre is quite without meaning," says Wynne Melville Jones who has
lived in the community for 25 years and has led a campaign for over ten years
to restore the old name of the village
Mae'n un o enwau tlysaf yr Iaith Gymraeg ac
mae Llanfihangel Genau'r Glyn wedi ysbrydoli beirdd a chantorion gan gynnwys J.
J. Williams, Idwal Jones a Chôr Telyn Teilo. Llanfihangel Genau'r Glyn yw enw'r
eglwys lleol, ac mae'r Cyngor Cymuned a changhennau lleol Merched y Wawr yn
arddel yr enw.
It's one of the most attractive names in the Welsh language and Llanfihangel
Genau'r Glyn has inspired poets and singers including J. J. Williams, Idwal
Jones and Côr Telyn Teilo {literally: the choir of harps of Teilo}.
Llanfihangel Genau'r Glyn is the name of the local church, and the Community
Council and local branches of Merched y Wawr {women of the dawn - a women's
society} bear the name
Mae nifer o gartrefi'r pentref hefyd wedi eu
hysbrydoli gan yr hen enw - Garth y Glyn, Maes y Glyn, Pant y Glyn a Bron
Genau. Roedd felly yn gwneud synnwyr i
adfer yr enw ar y pentref", meddai.
A number of homes in the village have
also been inspired by the name - Garth y Glyn - (the) hill (by) the valley,
Maes y Glyn - (the) field (of) the valley, Pant y Glyn - (the) hollow (of) the
valley and Bron Genau - (the) hill (of) (the) valley-mouth.
Credir i'r enw Llandre gael ei hybu pan
agorwyd y rheilffordd sy'n cysylltu Yr Amwythig ag Aberystwyth er mwyn
hwyluso'r di-Gymraeg i ynganu'r enw lle. Mae Mr. Jones ar hyd yr amser wedi
defnyddio Llanfihangel Genau'r Glyn ar arwydd ei gartref, mewn gohebiaeth ac yn
y cyfeirlyfr ffôn. "Rwyf wrth fy modd bod hyn bellach yn swyddogol,"
meddai.
It is believed that the name Llandre was promoted by the railway which connects
"Llwyddwyd i gyflawni hyn gyda
chydweithrediad Cyngor Bro Sir Ceredigion. Mae'n wych o beth bod enw mor
delynegol nawr wedi ei ddiogelu wrth i ni symud i fileniwm newydd", meddai
Mr. Jones.
It was possible to achieve this with the
cooperation of the Ceredigion county council. It's wonderful that a name which
is so poetic has now been safeguarded as we move into the new millenium
Llangatwg [lhan GA tug]
Llangatwg < Llangadog < llan ºGadog - the
The change to Catwg shows alternation between o and w (unusual, but not unkown
in other words); and the south-eastern feature of d > t at the beginning of
the final syllable
(1) "A farm in the parish of Llanedern {Caer-dydd}; doubtless the site of
a dismantled church"
'Cardiff Records' (1889-1911) (John Hobson Mathews, Mab Cernyw)
(2) A village (SO 2117) and parish in Powys
(3) A village (SS 7498) in Castell-nedd (the English name is Cadoxton, or
Cadoxton juxta Neath, to distnguish it from Tregatwg in Bro Morgannwg, which
the English also call Cadoxton)
In Welsh it is sometimes distinguished from the other places called Llangatwg
with a tag (though the simple form is the official form) - Llangatwg Glyn Nedd
or Llangatwg Nedd (= in the cwmwd of Glyn Nedd or the cwmwd of Nedd)
(4) = Llangatwg Dyffryn Wysg (Sir Fynwy)
(5) = Llangatwg Feibion Avel (Sir Fynwy)
(6) = Llangatwg Lingoed (Sir Fynwy)
Llangatwg Glyn Nedd [lhan GA tug glin NEEDH]
See Llangatwg
Llangatwg Nedd [lhan GA tug NEEDH]
See Llangatwg
Llanwenog [lhan WE nog]
See Bro Wenog.
Llareggub [lha RE gib]
A Welsh-looking place name devised by the writer Dylan Thomas for the village
in 'Under Milk Wood'.
It accurately stated the extent of his interest in the language and culture
which his Welsh-speaking parents had failed to pass on to him!
When it was realised after his death that it was not in fact a Welsh name but
the English expression BUGGER ALL written backwards, text editors gave it a
more Welsh spelling - Llaregyb - to disguise its unfortunate origin.
(The fact that he knew no Welsh was for him a matter of pride and explains the
arrogance he showed towards Welsh-speakers. There is an interesting novel in
Welsh published by Y Lolfa about how Dylan Thomas was seen by Welsh-speakers -
Diawl y Gwenallt, by Marcel Williams. Dylan Thomas's 'Under Milk Wood' was
translated into Welsh as 'Dan y Wenallt' (under the white wood), and the title
of the novel more or less conveys 'the bugger of Milk Wood').
Llaregyb
See Llareggub
Lloygr [LHOI ger]
Lloygr - spelling used by Emrys ap Iwan for Lloegr (= "England")
llwyd [lhuid] (adjective)
(1) grey
After a feminine noun it has a soft-mutated initial - (y) ºbont ºlwyd =
{the} grey bridge; (pont = bridge)
Llyn Tegid [lhin TE gid]
A lake (SH 9032) in Gwynedd on which the town of Bala is situated (bala
= outlet of a lake).
llyn Tegid - (the) lake (of) Tegid. The name Tegid is either Latin Tacitus,
or a native form based on 'teg' = fair. The English name is "
lwyd [luid] (adjective)
soft-mutated form of llwyd = grey.
maen [main] (masculine noun) (pronounced as in English 'mine')
(1) stone
In South Wales it is maan, which in much of South-east Wales becomes mään
(similar in pronunciation to English 'horse's mane'). In some names maen
it is used adejectivally - Y Bont-faen (the stone bridge)
maendy [MEIN di] (m)
stone house (maen = stone + soft mutation + ty = house)
Y Maendy [ø MEIN di]
see derivation above
(1) name of a district in Caerdydd
(2) names of a district in Casnewydd. On English maps it has the atrocious
English spelling Maindee, though this more or less reflects the Welsh
pronunciation
maen hir [main HIIR] (m)
menhir, longstone, standing stone (maen = stone, hir = long,
tall).
The English word menhir is the same, but is in fact from French, from Breton mên-hir,
a local form of Breton maen-hir
Maeshyfryd [mais HØ vrid]
(y) maes hyfryd - {the} pleasant field; maes = field, hyfryd = pleasant
It is spelt as one word because it is a settlement name; as the name of a field
the elements would be spelt separately (Maes Hyfryd), but in fact it is not a
genuine field name
(1) name of a local government ward in Caergybi ("Holyhead"), Ynys
Môn
Maes-teg [mais TEEG]
(1) a town in PBO
(y) maes teg - {the} fair field; maes = field, teg = fair
It is spelt as one word because it is a settlement name; as the name of a
field the elements would be spelt separately (Maes Teg)
melen [ME len] (feminine adjective)
Yellow. See melyn
Melin-ifan-ddu [MElin i van DHII]
A village (SS 9386 ) in the county of Pen-y-bont ar Ogwr.
melin Ifan Ddu = (the) mill (of) Ifan Ddu. Ifan Ddu means
'black(-haired) Ifan. The name Ifan is a reduced form of Ieuan and is
equivalent to English John. Ieuan came from British < Latin Johann-
< Greek). This older form Ieuan has been revived in the 1800s and 1900s as a
forename.
The local form is Melin-ddu, with the loss of Ifan.
The English name 'Blackmill' is a translation of this local form - probably
through not knowing the original form. Whatever the reason, the English form is
misleading, since it was not the mill that was black.
melyn [ME lin] (adjective)
(1) yellow.
There is a feminine form melen. After a feminine noun it has a
soft-mutated initial - Bancffosfelen = banc y ffos felen - {the}
flat land {of} the yellow ditch
Mera [ME ra]
A district of Castell-nedd.
Meaning: ?
The people here had a reputation for roughness.
See 1003 -
Gitto Gelli Deg yn yr Wythnos Gadw, from Seren Gomer, Year 1820
Mynd lawr gydag e i'r Crown - hen gownt gan hen Rhees yno - yfed gwerth saith
swllt - gwraig hen Rees yn dod iw fofyn am ddeg o'r gloch - un o wyr y Mera yw
hi - hi yn towlu cwart llawn i wyneb hen Rhees
{Go down with him to the Crown - Rhees has credit there - drink seven
shillings' worth - old Rees's wife comes to fetch him at ten o' clock - she's
one of the Mera people (a district of Castell-nedd / Neath) - throws a full
quart into old Rees's face - }
See also 0997.
"Yr Abi Jacs a'r Mera brid
Do's dim o'u bäth nhw yn y byd."
I'r gorllewin o'r ffin yma y mae gwyr Castell Nedd, neu fel yr adwaenid hwy ar
lafar gwlad "Gwyr y Mera." Ni fynnai gwyr y Fro gael un cyfathrach â
hwynt, oblegid
"Yr Abbey Jacs a'r Mera breed
'Dos dim o'u bäth nhw yn y byd."
{To the west of this boundary are the people of Castell-nedd
("Neath"), or as they are known col·loquially Gwyr y Mera ("The
people of the Mera"). The people of Bro Morgannwg ("the Vale of
Glamorgan") wanted nothing to do with them}, because "The Jacs from
Neath Abbey and the Mera breed, there's nothing like them (literally: 'nothing
of their sort') in the world" }
Mihangel [mi HA ngel]
(1) Michael the
A favourite dedication of the
Morfa Henddol [MOR va HEN dhol]
The old name of Y Frïog ("Fairbourne") in Gwynedd.
"the seamarsh of Henddol". (Henddol could be a farm name)
morfa = seamarsh, henddol = old meadow, hen = old, dôl = bend in a river;
meadow in a river bend; meadow
Morlais [MOR les]
'big stream' (mawr = big, glais = stream).
See: Glanmorlais
mynachdy [mø NAKH di] (m)
(1) monastery (2) grange, farm belonging to a monastery (mynach + ty)
Mynachdy
y mynachdy - {the} grange, the monastery farm. Name of a district of
Caer-dydd
Mynydd yr Orsedd [MØ nidh ør OR sedh]
{the} mountain {of} the seat;
mountain name in
Nant y Fedw [nant ø VE du]
(1) (the) stream (of) the birch grove. Name of a stream by Bedlinog, south-east
newydd [NEU idh] (adjective)
(1) new
See for example: Bontnewydd
ogof [O gov] (f)
Cave. The original form in Welsh had an initial g-. See gogof.
oo [oo]
(1) this spelling we use here to indicate the long 'o' of South Wales (as in
English door, store, etc), generally in words of one syllable, which
corresponds to the diphthong 'oe' in standard Welsh.
coed (wood) > cood
croes (= cross) > croos
oer (= cold) > oor
pabell [PA belh] (feminine noun)
The plural form is pebyll.
(1) In modern Welsh, a tent
(2) in place names, a cabin, a herder's hut, an upland summer pasture, a
shieling.
(3) In chapel names = tabernacle.
(Marc 9:5 - A Phedr a atebodd ac a ddywedodd wrth yr Iesu, Rabbi, da yw i ni
fod yma: a gwnawn dair pabell; i ti un, ac i Moses un, ac i Eleias un
Mark 9:5 - And Peter answered, and said to Jesus, Master, it is good for us to
be here: and let us make three tabernacles; one for thee and one for Moses, and
one for Elias).
The Welsh word is from < British < Latin pâpil-iô = butterfly,
tent, which is also the origin of French papillon = butterfly, Catalan papallona
= butterfly. The Latin form became pebyll in Welsh (the 'i' caused the
preceding 'a' to become 'e' - a process called vowel affection.) The resulting
sequence e-y is a characteristic of plurals in other words in Welsh - padell
(a frying pan), plural pedyll; (from Latin "patella"); castell
= castle, plural cestyll (from Latin "castellum"); and so
pebyll cam to be regarded as a plural, and a new singular form pabell
resulted as it adapted to the pattern of these other words. The Scottish place
name Peebles in
Paen
Welsh version of the English surname Payn, Payne (originally pronounced [pain],
as in modern English pine; this is the pronunciation which has been preserved
in Welsh). From Old French (Paien) < Latin Pâgânus (pâgus = outlying
village; hence (1) country person > (2) civilian, person who is not a
soldier > (3) heathen (person not in the army of Christ)
Found in Pentre-baen (qv), Caer-dydd
Pantycelyn [pant ø KE lin]
pant y celyn - {the} hollow {of} the holly bushes - pant =
valley, y = definite article, the, celyn = holly bushes.
(1) (SN 8235) farm in Sir Gaerfyrddin, home of William Williams (1717-91), a
noted Methodist hymnwriter, as well as a prose writer and poet. He is nowadays
regarded as an important contributor to Welsh literature - in his lifetime he
produced over ninety books and pamphlets. He is known as William Williams,
Pantycelyn, or simply as Pantycelyn. The farm Pantycelyn was in fact
the property of his wife and here they set up home after their marriage in
1748. 'Pantycelyn' in the names of streets and buildings usually commemorate
William Williams, rather than referring to a 'hollow of the holly bushes'
(2) street in Casllwchwr (Abertawe)
(3) Neuadd Pantycelyn - hall of residence for Welsh-speaking students at
the University of Wales in Aberystwyth, named after the hymnwriter
PBO - abbrevation used here for the county of Pen-y-bont ar Ogwr
Pentre-baen [PEN tre BAIN]
District in Caer-dydd. Pentre is village, but the name as it stands is somewhat
meaningless. In 'Cardiff Records' (1889-1911) (John Hobson Mathews, Mab Cernyw)
notes: 'Cefn-tre-baen (the ridge of the habitation of Payn). "Keven Tree
Paynes lands." A freehold messuage {dwelling with attached land} with
meadows and woods in the parishes of Saint Fagan {Sain Ffagan} and Pentyrch
{Pen-tyrch}, in the lordship of Miscyn {Meisgyn}, 1595, 1666.
This shows the origin to be cefn tre ºBaen. There is the expected soft
mutation of a name after tre. Colloquially cefn in an unstressed
syllable can be reduced to Ce'n. The first part of the name Ce'n-tre-baen
has been changed to pentre = village
Pen-y-bont ar Ogwr [pen ø BONT ar O gur]
A town (SS 9079) in south-east
The name means (the) Pen-y-bont (on) (the) Ogwr (river), to distinguish it from
other places also called Pen-y-bont.
Pen-y-bont = (the) (house) (at) (the) end (of) the bridge.
The English name is Bridgend (a translation of the Welsh name). Local forms in
Welsh are Pen-bont (loss of the linking definite article), and from this
Pem-bont (n > m before the consonant b). The river name locally is Ôcwr, so
one full local form is Pen-bont ar Ôcwr
Pen-y-cae [pen ø KÂI]
{the} end {of} the field;
a) This is the former name of the town of
b) There are streets called Pen-y-cae in (1) Gelli-gaer (county of
Caerffili), (2) Caerffili town.
Pen-y-clawdd [pen ø KLAUDH]
{the} end {of} the ditch;
Name of a hamlet (SO 4507) in Sir Fynwy, South-east Wales
Prifddinas Gogledd Cymru
= the capital city of North Wales, a title jocularly given to Liverpool
in England, since so many Welsh emigrated here from North Wales in the 1800s.
prys [priis] (masculine noun)
Copse, thicket, brushwood
From a Celtic word related to a Germanic root which has given English "
pwll tro [pulh TROO] (masculine noun)
(1) whirlpool, literally pool (of) turning. This is the southern
form of the word; in the north, the usual word is trobwll - that is, a
compound noun of the type "qualifer + qualified noun"
Y Pwll Tro [ø pulh TROO]
the whirlpool
(1) "A deep place in the river Rhymny {Rhymni}, below Bedwas bridge, in
the hamlet of the Van {Y Fan} in the parish of Bedwas - 1755.") 'Cardiff
Records' (1889-1911) (John Hobson Mathews, Mab Cernyw)
pwrtwe [PURT we] (feminine noun)
See Bwrtwe
r - initial 'r' before a vowel is sometimes a remnant of the article
'yr' which has become attached to a name. See Rallt.
Rallt [ralht]
yr ºallt = the wood - district in Y Crwys ("Three Crosses"),
Abertawe
RCT - abbrevation used here for the county of Rhondda Cynon Taf
Rhondda Cynon Taf [HRON dha KØ non TAAV]
Name of a county established in 1996 - from the names of three main rivers
within its boundaries.
Inexplicably the 'Welsh form' of the name is secondary to the official
'English' name - which differs only in misspelling Taf as Taff (Rhondda Cynon
Taff).
Here we use the abbreviation RCT for Rhondda Cynon Taf.
Rhyd-cryw [hriid KRIU]
rhyd (y) cryw - {the} ford {of} the steeping stones
Locality in Llanegryn, Gwynedd
Rhyd y Ceubren [hriid ø KEI bren]
rhyd y ceubren - {the} ford {of} the hollow tree
A ford above Aberpennar (RCT)
shiriff [SHI rif] (m)
sheriff
In south-west Wales a bullfinch is gwas y shiriff - the sheriff's
messenger (lit: servant)
Soffeia [so FEI a]
English forename Sophia
Gerddi Soffeia (Sophia Gardens) - a park in Caer-dydd.
'Cardiff Records' (1889-1911) (John Hobson Mathews, Mab Cernyw) {our comments
are in brackets} That portion of the grounds of Cardiff Castle lying on the
west bank of the river Taff {= Taf}, north-west of Cardiff Bridge {= Pont
Caer-dydd}. In 1875 they were thrown open to the public, at the desire of
Sophia, late Marchioness of Bute. The fields lying to the north of these
gardens are known as the Sophia Gardens Fields {= Meusydd Gerddi Soffeia}, and
are used for such public displays as the Horse Show.
Swnyreos [suun ør E os]
sw^n (yr) eos - {the} sound {of} the nightingale
(1) street name in Ystalyfera
Tawelfan [tau EL van]
(y) tawel ºfan = {the} quiet place : (tawel = quiet) + soft mutation + (man =
place). The adjective before a noun causes soft mutation of the initial consonant
of the noun.
(1) place by Pen-tyrch;
(2) street name in Ystradgynlais (Powys-Brycheiniog)
(3) street name in Ffosygerddinen (Caerffili)
teg [teeg] (adjective)
(1) fair.
See Bryn-teg, Maes-teg.
Telynog [te LØ nog]
Name of a poet (1840-1865).
Letter in the Western Mail,
"(Telynog) came to Aberdare from Cardigan during the last century and he
resided at Cwmbach, near Aberdare. He composed during his short life a poem:-
Blodeuyn bach wyf fi mewn gardd
Yn araf, araf wywo
(I am a little flower in a little garden, slowly, slowly wilting).
He little thought he was dying and, at 25, he was dead. He has a housing estate
named after him, and Tre Telynog keeps his name alive, although the residents
do not know it. G. DAVIES.
tew [teu] (adjective)
(1) fat
(2) (meadow) lush, rich. See Waun Dew
Tonna Uchaf [TO na I kha]
tonna uchaf - upper Tonna. The upper part of the village of Tonna (if
not upper Tonna farm)
A street name in Tonna (Castell-nedd ac Aberafan)
Traethmelyn [traith ME lin]
y traeth melyn - {the} yellow beach / {the} golden sands
A street name in Aberafan (CNA)
Traeth y De [traith ø DEE]
traeth y de - {the} beach {of} the south, south beach
name of a beach in Aberystwyth (Ceredigion)
Tretelynog [tree te LØ nog]
tre Telynog = (the) estate (of) Telynog
The name of a housing estate in Aber-dâr
.See Telynog
Twyn y Fid Ffawydd [tuin ø viid FAU idh]
twyn y ºfid ffawydd = {the} hill {of} the hedge {of} beech - (twyn = hill;
found especially in the south-east) + y + soft mutation + (bid = quickset
hedge, beech hedge) + (ffawydd = beech trees).
Hence Twynyfidffawydd - the name of a farm above Bedlinog (RCT)
Ty-coch [tii KOOKH]
(y) ty coch - {the} red house.
(1) "A farm between Ely {Trelái} and Caerau" 'Cardiff Records'
(1889-1911) (John Hobson Mathews, Mab Cernyw)
(2) "An ancient building opposite Cardiff Castle {Castell Caer-dydd},
later the Cardiff Arms Inn." 'Cardiff Records' (1889-1911) (John Hobson Mathews,
Mab Cernyw)
Ty-fry [tii VRII]
(y) ty ºfry - {the} high house, house in a high place. Fry is an
adverb (= above, in a high place) and is a soft-mutated form of an obsolete
word bry, from bre = hill.
It occurs as a house name or farm name in south-east
(1) Aber-dâr - (Ty-fry)
(2) Cefncribwr - (Heol Ty-fry), heol = street
(3) Caerdydd - (Gerddi Ty-fry), gerddi = gardens
Tyisaf [tii I sav]
y ty^ isaf - {the} lower house.
The usual pronunciation of this name in the south is Tyisha [tii I sha].
Sometimes it is written according to this colloquial pronunciaiton. See Tyisha)
Tyisha [tii I sha]
y ty^ isaf - {the} lower house
In colloquial Welsh in general, a final f [v] is lost - so isaf becomes isa.
In the south, there is palatalisation of the s in contact with i,
and so s becomes sh.
(1) name of a district of Llanelli (Sir Gaerfyrddin),
(2) Teras Tyisha (Tyisha terrace) - a street name Pengam (Caerffili)
Tysegur [tii SE gir]
(y) ty segur - {the} empty house. Segur usually means unoccupied
= having no work; in the south also unoccupied = having no inhabitiants.
Street name, Castell-nedd
Uwch Conwy [yuikh KON ui]
(district) above (the river) Conwy (uwch = higher; above)
Name of a local government ward in the county of Conwy
v
(1) The letter v is not used in the spelling of modern Welsh words,
although it was used in medieval Welsh.
(2) In the last century there was an attempt by some writers to change Welsh
spelling and use 'v' instead of 'f', and to replace 'ff' with 'f'. The idea
found little favour in
(3) The use of the 'v' in Welsh names is nowadays an unpardonable Englishism -
Vron, Varteg, the Van, Velindre, etc - although it removes the temptation on
the part of non-Welsh-speakers to pronounce them as if they began with the
sound [f], Welsh place names should be spelt in the current Welsh orthography.
(4) In the South-west of England words beginning with an original 'f' had 'v'.
This dialect feature was present in the English spoken by the English settlers
in
.....(1) vixen - the English name for a female fox ought to be, and used to be,
fixen (as in German Füchsin), but the standard form vixen is from these v
dialects.
.....(2) vane - a weathervane should be a weatherfane (as in German Fahne =
flag).
There are examples in English place names in the areas where the south-western
English had occupied - for example, in Gwenfô (ST 1272) there is a farm with
the English name Vishwell (= fish well, fish stream).
Some words with intial v- were borrowed into southern Welsh -
.....(1) broga [BRO ga] = frog. This was borrowed as froga, but in
Welsh, the [v] in froga was assumed to be the soft mutation of [b], and so a
new radical form broga emerged.
.....(2) In this part of
.....(3) In some place names the element fer occurs. The word for
'short' is byr, with a feminine form 'ber', which after a feminine noun in
'fer'. But the 'fer' in
Waun Dew [wain DEU]
(y) ºwaun ºdew - {the} rich meadow. (gwaun = meadow, tew =
fat; lush, rich)
(1) name of a meadow in Caerfyrddin. "Richmond-terrace has no connection
with the Earl of Richmond: it has been substituted by mistake for
Richmead-terrace, a name suggested by Waendew, {older spelling for Waun
Dew}, an adjacent meadow." William Spurrell, Carmarthen and its
Neighbourhood, 1879, page 11
Waun-gron [wain GRON]
y waun gron - {the} round moorland meadow
(1) The name of a district in the county of Abertawe
Waun-wen [wain WEN]
y waun wen - {the} white moor
A street name in (1) Y Porth (county of Rhondda Cynon Taf), (2) Cwmafan (county
of Castell-nedd ac Aberafan)
wen [wen] (adjective)
Soft-mutated form of gwen, the feminine form of the adjective gwyn =
white
werdd [werdh] (adjective)
Soft-mutated form of gwerdd, the feminine form of the adjective gwyrdd
= green
Wern-fawr [wern VAUR]
y ºwern ºfawr - {the} big bog / swamp
(1) street name in Llanedern (Caerdydd)
As it is a street name imitating a settlement name (or possibly a farm name?)
it is spelt as one word. If it were a field name it would be Wern Fawr.
Wern-fraith [wern VRAITH]
y ºwern ºfraith - {the} speckled swampland, the wet land with soil of
patchy quality;
(1) street name, Bryn-coch (CN)
As it is a street name imitating a settlement name (or possibly a farm name?)
it is spelt as one word. If it were a field name it would be Wern-fraith
Werntarw [wern TA ru]
gwern y tarw - {the} swamp {of} the bull. The mutateed form ºwern
has replaced the expected radical form gwern
(1) village (SS 9684) by Pen-coed (Pen-y-bont ar Ogwr)
It is spelt as one word because it is a settlement name; as the name of field
the elements are spelt separately (Gwern y Tarw).
y [ø]
(1) the definite article (the)
(2) sometimes, what appears to be a definite article in a name is in fact the letter
'i' in a badly-written form of the name.
For example, the farm name Perthygleision by Aber-fan, RCT; not
ymyl [Ø mil] (feminine noun)
side
Ymylyrafon [Ø mil ør A vonl]
ymyl yr afon = {the} side {of} the river
This is the name of a riverside street (by Afon Nedd - "Neath") in
Bryn-coch (CN)
ysgyfarnog [ø skø VAR nog] (feminine noun)
(1) hare
In spoken Welsh it is usually reduced to sgyfarnog. Like most -og
words it was originally an adjective, from a word lost in modern Welsh (ysgyfarn
= ear), with the suffix -og for forming an adjective. Literally, (long)
eared (animal). Ysgyfarn is to be found in modern Cornish (skovarn =
ear) and in Breton (skovarn = ear). In north
·····
0964e
rhestr o enwau lleoedd Cymraeg wedi eu hesbonio (yn Saesneg / yn Gatalaneg)
Understanding Welsh-language place names - a grammar of place names
·····
1853e
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