A
Welsh to English Dictionary in page format
http://www.kimkat.org/amryw/1_vortaroy/geiriadur_cymraeg_saesneg_BAEDD_a_1580e.htm
Yr Hafan / Home Page
..........2659e Y Porth Saesneg / English
Gateway to this Website
.....................0010e Y Gwegynllun / Siteplan
..............................0417e Geiriaduron / Dictionaries
........................................1813e Geiriaduron yn Saesneg /
Dictionaries in English
....................................................1818e Y mynegai
i'r geiriadur arlein hwn / Index to this online dictionary
.................................................................Y Tudalen Hwn
/ This Page
|
|
|
Gwefan Cymru-Catalonia
|
(delw 6668) 2009-04-11
2009-03-17 |
1580e A | 2709e
AR | 1039e B | 1735e BR | 1018e C | 1071e CE | 1675e CI | 1040e CR | 1075e CY | 1020e D | 1674e DI | 1072e E | 1077e F | 1021e G | 1042e GW | 1038e H | 1676e HY, I, J, K, | 1865e L | 1022e M | 1677e MI | 1047e N | 1600e O | 1023e P | 1073e PL | 1026e R | 1070e S | 1024e T | 1076e TR | 1025e U,V | 1731e W, X | 1586e Y, Z |
∆
A, a ‹aa› feminine noun
1) first letter of the twenty-six letter Roman alphabet
...1 a, 2 b, 3 c, 4 d 5 e,
2) first letter of the twenty-nine letter Welsh alphabet
...1 a, 2 b, 3 c, 4 ch, 5 d, 6 dd 7 e,
:_______________________________.
a
The letter “a” in Welsh words:
This can represent the long vowel ‹aa› in certain environments; in unusual envirionments it
tis written with a circumflex “â”.
1 As a consequence of the long vowel shift in English of the 1400s, ‹aa› ultimately gave rise to
the ‹ei› in the
English of today. Many loans from English took place before the sound shift and
have ‹aa› in
Welsh, spelt “â”or “a”
plât ‹plaat› (= plate) < English “plate” ‹plaat›, now ‹pleit›
pâl ‹paal› (= pole) < English “pale” ‹paal›, now ‹peil›
ras ‹raas› (= race, stream) < English “race” ‹raas›, now ‹reis›
An “a” in a tonic syllable is sometimes written “y” to represent a dialect
pronunciation - ‹a› loses its quality to become an obscure vowel ‹ə›
:_______________________________.
à
1 the grave accent indicates a short
vowel where in a long vowel environment
The ‘a’ in monosyllables in Welsh with final –b, -d, -g is long
mag ‹maag› (North) fry of fish, tiny fish
mab ‹maab› son
tad ‹taad› father
However English words taken into Welsh with the same pattern (monosyllables,
final consonant g, b, d) but with a short vowel retain the short vowel in
Welsh.
bàg bag
càb (crane) cab, enclosed part where
a crane operator controls the movements of the machine
fflàg flag
:_______________________________.
a
1 tonic a > y ‹ə›
Calan Gaeaf (= All Saints, “(the)
calend (of) winter”)
> C’langaea / Clangaea
> Clyngaea ‹kləng-gei-a›
2
final -a in certain words in
southern Welsh is from an original -gh;
in northern Welsh there is no -a
British *kalg- > Welsh *calgh- > cala (south), cal (north) (= penis)
British *kolg- > Welsh *colgh- > cola (south), col (north) (= beard of corn; spike,
point)
British *bolg- > Welsh *bolgh- > bola (south), bol (north) (= belly)
3
a in a final syllable < e.
This e can be original (halen = salt), or a reduction of the
diphthong au (pethe < pethau =
things), ai (cader < cadair =
chair), ae (chware < chwarae = to play)
It is typical of three areas
1) South-east Wales
2) North-west Wales
3) northern Sir Ddinbych and Sir y Fflint in north-east Wales
:_______________________________.
-ae-
(delwedd 7396)
:_______________________________.
a > o
An original a has become o in a
final syllable in certain words
Examples from standard Welsh:
Amrath > Amroth (SN1607, place name, Penfro county)
Lleisian > Lleision man’s name, from llais
(= voice) + suffix -an
sbectal > sbectol (= spectacles, glasses)
Other instances occur in COLLOQUIAL
WELSH , and are not standard:
(1) adladd (aftermath, aftergrass =
a second crop of grass which grows in the same season after the first mowing)
> adlodd
(2) afal (= apple) > afol
(3) (an- negating prefix) + (gras = grace) > anras > andras > andros (North Wales, = ‘great, great
big, enormous’ in qualifying a noun – andros
o ffŵl = a great fool)
(4) crochan (= cooking pot,
cauldron) > crochon
(5) dafad (= sheep)
Studies in Welsh Phonology / Samuel J. Evans / 1909 / t19 “In Anglesey and
Carnarvonshire dafad is regularly pronounced dafod.”
(6) gofal (= care) > gofol
(7) hóspital (= hospital) > hóspitol
(8) neuadd (= hall) > neuodd
(9) penwag (= herring) > *penwog > pennog
(10) gleuad (= cow pats) > gluod (
ALSO:
(a + wy) has become (o + wy)
older Welsh marthwyl > modern
Welsh morthwyl (= hammer)
older Welsh nadwydd > modern
Welsh nodwydd (= needle)
:_______________________________.
a < o
An a has
replaced an original o in a final
syllable in certain words
..a/ Bedwas (village name, Caerffili
county, south-east
..b/ ofan (
..c/ Wernas-deg locality in
Beddgelert (
..d/ rwân (North Wales) (= now) <
yr awron < yr awr hon (= this hour, “the hour this”)
a < e
A final -a in south-east
Wales and North-west Wales which in colloquial Welsh along a broad south-west
to north-east axis is -e
This vowel change in the
final syllable of a word is found in three areas – south-east Wales, north-west
Wales, and the coastal strip of the counties of Dinbych and Y Fflint.
Thus bachgen (= boy) > bachgan
Since in much of
tafodiaith
(= dialect)
> tafodieth
> tafodiath
gwasanaeth (=
service) > gwasaneth > gwasanath
pethau (things)
> pethe
> petha
1 Examples of final a
place names in
..a/ Acaryforwyn (“Accar-y-Forwyn”)
Street name in Dinbych, north-east
“(the) acre (of) the maid” = “Virgin
Mary’s acre”
(acer) + soft mutation + (y definite article) + (morwyn = maid; maiden; the Virgin Mary
)
..b/ Alafowlia, from ala
fowliau (= bowling alley, skittle alley)
In Dinbych, north-east Wales there is a street called Parc Alafowlia (Post Code LL16 3HZ)
(ala = alley) + soft mutation + (bowlia, a form of bowliau = bowls, plural of bowl
= bowl)
-a-
1 An –a-
in a final syllable in south-east Wales
and North-west Wales corresponds to the –e- which occurs
along a broad south-west to north-east axis.
In many cases –a corresponds to the plural suffix –au :
2 Examples
of final -a in place names in
(in many cases it corresponds to the plural suffix –au)
..a/ Y Blaena
The south-eastern pronunciation of blaenau [ˡbləinai] (= upland; sources of streams) is blaena [ˡbləina] . The English spelling of the town’s name is Blaina [ˡblainə] , which might in fact be a Welsh spelling to suggest a
local pronunciation [ˡblaina]
..b/ Y Brynna
The south-eastern form of bryniau (= hills) is brynnau, without the semi-consonant i- at the start of the
final syllable, a general feature of the Welsh in this part of the country. The
colloquial pronunciation is Brynna.
..c/ Y Bwlcha
The Gwentian pronunciation of bylchau
(“passes, gaps”), the plural form of bwlch (= pass, gap”).
It occurs in the place name Pen Bwlcha east
of Pont-y-gwaith ST0897 pen y bylchau “(the) top / end (of) the passes /
gaps”
..d/ Y Caia ‹ə
kai-a› farm in Sain Nicolas,
..e/ Y Castella <ə
ka-STE-lha> [ə
kaˡstɛɬa] place by Llantrisant, Rhondda Cynon Taf < y castellau <ə ka-STELH-ai> [ə
kaˡstɛɬaɪ] = the castles. Nowadays spelt with -au
A Topographical Dictionary of Wales / Samuel Lewis / 1849:
(Llantrisant) To the north of the town the appearance of the country becomes
more rugged, and assumes a wilder aspect, which is in some degree enlivened by
the pleasing appearance of Castella, an ancient seat, that forms a lively and
cheerful object in a landscape, of which the prevailing character is that of
sombre magnificence.
..f/ Y Cefan
From Y Cefen < Y Cefen, the short form of names with cefn (= hill) as
the first element
1 Cefncoedycymer (also Y Ciefan, with
a palatalised c)
2 Cefncribwr
..g/ Y Cwarra
Clos y Cwarra street name in Llanbedr y Fro (“(the) close (of) the
quarries”) < cwarrau (= quarries)
..h/ Y Cymar
Y Porth in Dyffryn Rhondda (The Rhondda Valley) was originally known as Y Cymer (the confluence), a short form of Cymer-rhondda (the confluence of the
..i/ Y Darran
(various places)
Tarren is a rocky slope.
Excerpt
from a comment (retrieved 2008-10-18) in the forum at: http://www.bbc.co.uk/wales/southeast/sites/walks/pages/twmbarlwm.shtml
BBC South-east Wales Walks: Pant yr Eos / Twm Barlwm
How many people were on Twmbarlwm before me who are still
going? My grandfather George Morton who farmed the Darran Farm carried me before I could walk
along the top of the Darran
Rocks and I was able to point out later on, when I grew a bit the large rock
along the coiker [coeca, coetgae – upland grazing] where we rested. On that
occasion I can't claim to have climbed to the tump, but in my youth my pals and
I were always up there always refreshed by the marvellous view. My most recent
climb was last year, not bad for 85!
..j/ Y Felindra
In Caer-dydd.
A house name noted by John Hobson Matthews (Mab Cernyw) 'Cardiff
Records' (1889-1911)
VELINDRE, Y Felindre (the mill hamlet), often inaccurately spelt
"Velindra." A copyhold tenement consisting of a house and garden in
the manor of Llystalybont and parish of Llanishen. In 1700 it was devised by
Gabriel Lewis. In 1902 it was purchased from the Booker family by the
Corporation, for the purposes of an Asylum.
..k/ Llambad <LHAM-bad> [ˡɬambad]
1 A local form of Llanbedr
(“(the) church (of) (Saint) Peter”).
Iit is used for example for Llanbedr y
Fro ST0876 (
(English name: Peterstone-super-Ely)
“the Llanbedr which is in Y Fro (= the Lowland)”
Y Fro is a short form of Bro Morgannwg “(the) lowland (of)
Morgannwg”
..l/ Llanedarn ‹lhan-EE-darnd›
(“(the) church (of) Edern”).
A Topographical Dictionary of Wales / Samuel Lewis / 1849:
LLANEDARN (LLAN-EDEYRN), a parish, in the poor-law union of Cardiff, hundred of
Kibbor, county of Glamorgan, South Wales, on the banks of the Romney,
http://www.british-history.ac.uk/report.aspx?compid=47848#s2
The current name is is the incorrect Llanedeyrn, where it has been altered to
suggest some connection with the Welsh word teɥrn (in early Welsh names, ‘king, ruler’; though in
modern Welsh it means ‘tyrant’).
The local form was probably Llanetarn, with the devocing of the consonant at the head of the
final syllable, a typical feature of the historical south-eastern dialect
..m/ Y Llwɥna
‹ə LLuIN-a›
Name of a farm in Llantrisant by Brynbuga,
..n/ Y Mynydda ‹ə mə-nə-dha›
South-eastern form of Y Mynyddau,
the uplands of the old territories of Morgannwg and Gwent (more or less the
uplands of the present-day counties of Castell-nedd ac Aberafan, Pen-y-bont ar
Ogwr, Rhondda Cynon Taf, Caerffili, Merthyrtudful, Blaenau Gwent, Torfaen) .
In English these areas were known by the English translation 'The Hills'. The
name referred to the areas at the heads of the valleys where the first
ironworks and coalmines were situated.
Later on, as coal mines opened down in the valleys, the bulk of the
population became were valley dwellers, and so the industrial area became known
Y Cymoedd (the Valleys), though
whether this expression first took hold in English, and so Y Cymoedd is the
translation of an English expression; or the English name is a translation of
the Welsh expression; or both came about concurrently still needs to be
investigated.
In modern Welsh the plural of mynydd (= upland; mounatain) is mynyddoedd,
but historically the plural termination was -au.
..o/ Y Panta ST5099
near The Cot, west of Dindyrn / Tintern (Mynwy) seems to be Y Pantiau (hollows)
http://www.geograph.org.uk/photo/491838
Y Panta - arwydd / sign
http://www.geograph.org.uk/photo/301254
Y Panta - ffermdy / farmhouse
..p/ Y Snawdra ‹ə snau-dra› feminine noun
Local form of Ynɥsawdre, a locality in the
NOTE:
..1/ transposition of the n so that
it occurs after the s;
..2/ the a instead of e in a final syllable is a normal
feature of South-eastern Welsh
“ynys Hafdref”, “(the) meadow (of the place called) Hafdre”; hafdre (= summer homestead), with a later changer of [v]
> [w] hawdre
..q/ Y Tircalad
A house name noted by John Hobson Matthews (Mab Cernyw) 'Cardiff Records'
(1889-1911) “TIR-CALAD (the hard land.) A free tenement in the parish of Roath
and manor of Roath-Keynsham (1702.) A ruined house and land named in the Heath
Enclosure Award of
“y tir caled” (y definite article) +
(tir = land) + (caled = hard).
..r/ Y Tonna
The village of Tonnau (“pastures, pasture lands, meadowlands”) in
Castell-nedd ac Aberafan county is pronounced locally Tonna, which is in fact the offical form of this community.
..s/ Y Tyla
....1/ In
Dyffrynrhondda (
.....2/ Y Tyla is the name of a farm ST2482 (“Tyla Farm”) by
Llanfihangel y Fedw (“Michaelston-y-Fedw”), in Casnewydd /
..t/ Y Tyla-gwyn SS9188 hamlet south of Pont-yr-hyl
(county of Pen-y-bont ar Ogwr) (“white hill”) (tyle = hill)
:_______________________________.
-a
1 verb
suffix, especially in
verbs with the sense of ‘gathering (something)’, the suffix being added to the
noun which is the material being gathered
gwlân (= wool)
gwlana < gwlán-ha (= to gather
wool; South-east: also, to daydream)
See -ha
:_______________________________.
-a
1 -a
is added to the stem of certain verbs
to form the second person singular imperative both in the colloquial language
and in the literary language
hola! ask! enquire!
gwena! smile!
2 in colloquial Welsh –a,
the second person singular imperative of certain verbs, has been generalised to
most other verbs
Though it is added to the stem of certain
verbs to form the second person singular imperative in colloquial Welsh, in
the literary language however the stem serves as the imperative
cana sing! (literary Welsh: cân = sing!)
creda fi! ‹kree-da vii› Believe me
(literary form: cred fi ‹kreed vii›)
caea dy ben! shut your mouth!
(literary form: cae dy ben)
siarada! speak (literary form, siarad)
Bachan, siarada sens, w. Talk sense, mun! (bachan = man. boy, not translated into English)
:_______________________________.
-a
1 suffix for making a female name from a male name
Eifion (m) ‹EIV yon›, Eifiona (f) ‹eiv
YOO na›
Ifan (m) ‹II van›, Ifana (f) ‹i
VAA na›
Illtyd, Illtyda
Iŏlo (m) ‹YO lo›, (pet form of Iorwerth), Iŏla (f) ‹YO-la›
Meirion (m) ‹MEIR yon›, Meiriona (f) ‹meir
YOO na ›
:_______________________________.
-a
1 (child language) diminutive suffix in titles of relations
ewa < ewythr (= uncle)
bopa < modryb (= aunt)
neina < nain (= grandmother)
teida < taid (= grandfather)
:_______________________________.
a 1 ‹AA, A› (conjunction)
1 and;
Aberystwyth a Dolgellau = the towns
of Aberystwyth and Dolgellau;
before a vowel, ac;
Dolgellau ac Aberystwyth; the towns of Dolgellau and Aberystwyth.
With a determiner - for example,
a’ch ‹akh› and your
(contraction of “a” + “eich”)
2 in forming linking adverbials (ac ‹aag› before a vowel)
..1/ a bod yn onest to be honest
..2/ a chysidro all things
considered, considering the circumstances, in view of the situation
..3/ a defnyddio'r hen air Cymraeg to
use the old Welsh word
Mae yna lawer o bobl yn cael trafferth i
dyfu persli neu bersyll, a defnyddio'r hen air Cymraeg
A lot of people have trouble growing parsley or “persyll”, to use the old Welsh
word
..4/ ac ystyried yr amgylchiadau all
things considered, considering the circumstances, in view of the situation
3 used to link qualifying adjectives
a deep narrow valley > a valley narrow and deep
cum cul a dwfn
:_______________________________.
a 2 ‹A› interrogative particle
a oeddech chwi ‹a OI dhe khi› were you?
a oedd ef ‹a OIDH e; OO dhe› was he?
a oedden ni ‹a OI dhe ni› were we?
a oeddet ti ‹a OI dhe ti› were you?
a oedd hi ‹a OIDH hi; OO dhi› was she?
a oeddwn i ‹a OI dhe ni› was I?
a oeddynt hwy ‹a OI dhint hui› were they?
:_______________________________.
a 3 ‹A› relative pronoun; with a determiner - for example, y
wraig a’ch (= a + eich) gwelodd - the woman who saw you
Used without a subject in sayings;
The subject is understood:
(y neb a... y sawl a...) = (the person) who; whosoever, whoever;
(y peth a...) = (the thing) that , whatsoever, whatever, what
A fyn Duw a fydd (motto) What God wills shall be
:_______________________________.
â
1 for comments on words with “a” plus
circumflex (plât, tân, mâs, etc) see “a”
:_______________________________.
â 1 ‹A›
1 he goes, she goes,
it goes (literary Welsh) in COLLOQUIAL
WELSH , aiff (
:_______________________________.
â 2 ‹A› (preposition)
1 as
Comparisons:
..a) â’r graig (“as the rock”)
bod mor sefydlog
â’r graig be as steady as a rock
..b)
â'r nant i'r afon (“as the stream to the
river”)
mor sicr â'r nant
i'r afon no
doubt about it “as sure as the stream to the river”
..c) â’r oen (“as the lamb”)
bod mor ºfwynaidd
â’r oen be as
gentle as a lamb
-------------------------------------------------------------------
:_______________________________.
â 3 ‹AA› preposition
1 with (should have a circumflex accent - often omitted in the
popular press)
gwneud cyfiawnder â’r ºdasg rise to
the occasion, be up to the job (“do justice to the task”)
-------------------------------------------------------------------
:_______________________________.
â 4
Latin “â” - words in Welsh of Latin
origin
1 Latin “â” > British “â” > Welsh “aw”.
..1/ fâg-us > *ffaw > ffawydden
(ffaw = beech) + (gwydden = tree) (= beech tree)
..2/ In a final syllable in modern Welsh this has been reduced to “o”
cauitât-em > ceudawd > ceudod (=
cavity)
diurnât-a > diwrnawd > diwrnod
(= day)
Februâr-ius > Chwefrawr > Chwefror
(= February)
fontân-a > ffynnawn > ffynnon
(= well)
excûsât-io > esgusawd > (esgusod)
> esgusodi (= to excuse)
extrân-eus > estrawn > estron
(= foreign)
Mariân-us > Meiriawn > Meirion
(= Marian – man’s name)
parât-us > parawd > parod (=
ready)
-------------------------------------------------------------------
:_______________________________.
“aa” ‹-›
1 used in this
dictionary to represent the simplification (mostly in monosyllables, and mostly
in southern Welsh) of the diphthong “ae” ‹aai› into a long vowel ‹aa›
For example, blaen > blaan
The usual way of representing this is either with a circumflex (blân) or (nowadays the recommended
form) with an apostrophe (bla’n).
The use of “aa” though has advantages
...(1) it is immediately apparent that the vowel is long
...(2) since a double vowel is not ordinarily used in Welsh, it is immediately
apparent that the word so spelt is a dialect form
...(3) In south-east Wales, ‹aa› is modified to a long ‘open e’ sound, which can be
represented as “ää”. Usually in popular texts the sound is written as “ê” and
in more scientific texts as a+e ligature, but these obscure the relationship
with the underlying ‹aa›.
blaen > blaan > blään
The disadvantages of “a’” are
...(1) it is not immediately clear that the vowel is long
ma’n ‹maan› < maen
= stone
...(2) because of frequent syllable ommissions and contractions in popular
Welsh, the apostrophe is overworked.
The disadvantages of “â’” are
...(1) It is not immediately apparent that a word is a local form
These are local forms:
blân (blaen = top, end),
mân (maen = stone),
dâr (daer, southern for fox’s earth)
But the following are standard forms, and so are not phonological variants:
tân = fire,
mân = small,
dâr = oak tree.
See also “oo”(coed > co’d / côd / cood)
Examples of words in aa
aath < aeth (= he / she went)
baadd < baedd (= boar)
blaan < blaen (= tip, end) (See
also in this list: ’mlaan)
caa < cae (= field)
caa ‹dy
ben›! < cae ‹dy ben›! (= shut ‹your
mouth›!)
caal < cael (= to get)
caar < caer (in place names)
(= hillfort) e.g. Y Gaar < Y Gaer,
daath < daeth (= she / he came)
daar < daear (= earth) (via a
monosyllabic form “daer”)
draan < draen (= thorns)
graan < graen (= grain ‹of wood› ; appearance)
gwaad < gwaed (= blood)
gwaath < gwaeth (= worse)
haan < haen (= stratum, layer)
llaath < llaeth (= milk)
maan < maen (= stone)
maa < mae (= is, there is)
maas < maes (= field)
’maas < i maes (= outside)
’mlaan < ymláen (= forward) (see:
blaan)
naath < gwnaeth / wnaeth (= he / she / it did; he / she /
it made)
saar < saer (= carpenter)
saath < saeth (= arrow)
traad < traed (= feet)
traath < traeth (= beach)
South-east Wales:
ääth (= he / she went) / bäädd (= boar) / blään (= tip, end) / (See also in this list: ’mlaan) / cää (= field) /
caa ‹dy
ben›! < cää ‹dy ben›! (= shut ‹your
mouth›!) / cääl (= to get) / cäär (in
place names) / (= hillfort) / e.g. Y
Gäär / dääth (= she / he came) /
dääar (= earth) / drään (= thorns) / grään (= grain ‹of wood›; appearance) / gwääd
(= blood) / gwääth (= worse) / hään (= stratum, layer) / llääth (= milk) / mään (= stone) / mää (=
is, there is) / määs (= field) / ’maas < i määs (= outside) / ymláen (= forward) / (see: blaan) / gwnääth / wnääth (= he /
she / it did; he / she / it made) / säär
(= carpenter) / sääth (= arrow)
/ trääd (= feet) / trääth (= beach)
:_______________________________.
aa <aa> [ɑː]
..1/ In many loan words from English,
Welsh has <aa> [ɑː] “â”, “a”
from medieval English <aa> [ɑː] , corresponding to modern English <ei> [ɛi]
As a consequence of the long vowel shift in English of the 1400s, <aa> [ɑː] ultimately gave rise to
the [ɛi]
in the English of today. Many loans from
English occurred before this change in the vowel, and maintain the <aa> [ɑː] in Welsh.
pâl <paal> [pɑːl] (= pole) < English “pale” <paal> [pɑːl] , now <peil> [pɛil]
plas <plaas> [plɑːs] (= mansion) < English “place” <plaas> [plɑːs] , now <pleis> [plɛis]
plât <plaat> [plɑːt] (= plate) < English “plate” <plaat> [plɑːt] , now <pleit> [plɛit]
ras <raas> [rɑːs] (= race, stream) < English “race” ras <raas> [rɑːs] , now ras <reis> [rɛis]
..2/ Certain Welsh words (generally place names) with ‹aa›, first used in English
before the sound change took place, have become ‹ei› in their English form
..a/ Iâl > “Yale”. The name of an
upland in the north-east, and the name of a local landowning family; origin of
the name Yale in the
..b/ Y Clas ‹klaas› in Llangyfelach (
:_______________________________.
aa ‹aa›
1 British aa ‹aa›
(also spelt as â) > modern Welsh aw ‹au›
The corresponding words in Irish have ‹aa›
..a/ dawn (= talent) < British *daan- (Corresponds to Irish dán = poetry, formerly
gift)
..b/ llawr (= floor) < British *laar- (Corresponds to Irish lár = ground, floor; middle,
centre)
:_______________________________.
aath ‹ aath ›
1
southern form of aeth (= he / she /
it went)
Usually spelt âth / a’th
See aa
:_______________________________.
ääth ‹ ääth ›
1
south-eastern form of aeth (= he /
she / it went)
Usually spelt êth / æth
See aa / aath
:_______________________________.
ab <ab> [ab] in patronymics, a form of “mab” = son; used before a
vowel
ab
Emwnt <ab E-munt> [ab
ˡɛmʊnt] = son of
Edmond
ab Iorwerth <ab YOR-werth> [ab
ˡjɔrwɛrθ] son of
Iorwerth
ab Edward <ab-ED-ward> [ab ˡɛdward] son of Edward
ab
Ifan <ab-II-van> [ab
ˡiˑvan] son of Ifan / John
ab
Owain <ab-O-wain, wen> [ab ˡɔʊaɪn, ˡɔʊɛn] son of Owain
:_______________________________.
abad <AA-bad> [ˡɑˑbad] masculine
noun
PLURAL abadau
<a-BAA-dai, -de> [aˡbɑˑdaɪ, -ɛ]
1 abbot = head of an abbey
ETYMOLOGY: Welsh < Latin abbas,
abbât- < Aramaic abba (=
father), a title given to bishops in the Coptic, the Ethiopian and the
This is a learned borrowing from Latin directly into early Welsh - regular
borrowing in the British period would have given *afawd > *afod
From the same British root: Breton abad
(= abbot).
:_______________________________.
a ballu <a BA-lhi> [a ˡbaɬɪ]
1 North
Wales and so on, et cetera, and suchlike, and things like that
Mi eish i i ºbrynu siampw a sebon a
ballu
I went to buy shampoo and soap and things like that
ETYMOLOGY: Form of “a rhywbeth felly” =
“and something like this”;
(1) In north-west Wales, an ‘e’ in a final syllable becomes ‘a’; thus rhywbeth > rhywbath. Colloquially this is reduced to rwbath (loss of the aspiration in rh, simplification of yw
> w <u> [ʊ]
(2) A number of two-syllable words drop the accented first syllable in COLLOQUIAL WELSH
(yma > ma, yna > na, acw > cw, etc; and in the same way felly
> lly)
(3) So a rhywbeth felly > a rwbath
felly > a (rw)ba(th)
(fe)lly / ’ba’ ’lly
> a ballu
NOTE: Sometimes written as a single word aballu
:_______________________________.
abaty <a-BA-ti> [aˡbatɪ] masculine
noun
PLURAL abatai
<a-BA-tai> [aˡbataɪ]
1 abbey = monastery headed by an
abbot
2 abbey church = church which was formerly an abbey
ETYMOLOGY: (abad = abbot) + soft
mutation + (ty = house) abad-dy > abaty (d + d) = (t)
:_______________________________.
*Abaty-nedd <a-BA-ti NEEDH> [aˡbatɪ ˡneːð]
1 incorrect form for Mynachlog-nedd (qv) (‘monastery by the
river Nedd’ – a district in Castell-nedd).
Mynachlog Nedd, the name of the
monastery, is “Neath Abbey” in English – either a tranlsation from Welsh, or a
name which came about independently in English.
Apparently some Welsh-speakers unaware of the correct Welsh form use a
translation of the English name, with ‘abaty’ to translate “abbey”.
:_______________________________.
ábdomen <AB-do-men> [ˡabdɔmɛn] masculine noun
1 abdomen
:_______________________________.
aber <AA-ber> [ˡɑˑbɛr] feminine noun
1 estuary, rivermouth (as in the place name Aberystwyth - mouth of
the river Ystwyth)
2
(inland) confluence, meeting place of a streams, of a stream and a river, as in
the name Abercynon - the Cynon stream flows into the river Taf at this point
3
(North Wales) stream
Yr oedd asyn un tro yn croesi aber
ºfechan Once upon a time an ass was crossing a small stream
Aber-las (“Aber Las”)
Street name in Y Fflint
aber ºlas “blue stream” (aber) + soft mutation + (glas = blue)
NOTE: In place names, where aber is followed by the name of a stream or
river, or by some other element, the vowel becomes short <A-ber> [ˡabɛr]
:_______________________________.
Aberdyfi <a-ber-DƏ-vi> [abɛrˡdəvɪ]
1 place name (estuary of the river
Dyfi)
Ffoto: http:
//www.bangor.ac.uk/ysgolion/aberdyfi/gem.htm
:_______________________________.
Aber Dyfrdwy <a-ber DƏVR-dui> [abɛr
ˡdəvrdʊɪ]
1 The estuary of the river Dyfrdwy.
English name: The
http://www.geograph.org.uk/photo/217891 SJ1886 Aber Dyfrdwy
(delwedd 7438)
:_______________________________.
Aberaeron <a-ber-EI-ron> [abɛrˡəɪrɔn] feminine noun
1 place name (estuary of the river Aeron)
:_______________________________.
Aberangell <a-ber-A-ngelh> [abɛr ˡaŋɛɬ]
1
(SH8410) locality in Meirionnydd (Gwynedd)
ETYMOLOGY: (aber = confluence) + (Angell = river name). It is where the
Angell river joins the Dyfi river
:_______________________________.
Aber Eiddon <a-ber-EI-dhon> [abɛrˡəɪðɔn]
1 Confluence in Rhyd-y-main, a
village north-east of Dolgellau (Gwynedd)
“(the) confluence (of) (the) Eiddon (and the river Wnion)”
2 Abereiddon street
name in the village of Rhyd-y-main (“Aber Eiddon”)
3 Abereiddon a grange of Cymer Abbey
Aber Iddon Folk tune name mentioned in “The Cambrian Quarterly Magazine and Celtic
Repertory” (1830). English name appended: The Efflux of the Iddon
:_______________________________.
Abérffraw (colloquial
form: Y Berffro) <a-BER-frau / ə-BER-fro> [aˡbɛrfraʊ
/ ə ˡbɛrfrɔ)] feminine noun
1 place name (estuary of the river Ffraw)
:_______________________________.
Abergafenni <a-ber-ga-VE-ni> [abɛrgaˡvɛnɪ] feminine noun
1 (History)
a cwmwd (kúmmud) of the cantref (kántrev) of Gwent Uwch Coed, South-east Wales
2 name of a town here – the “English” name of the town is Abergavenny; in Welsh however the name has become Y
Fenni <ə VE-ni> [ə ˡvɛnɪ]
ETYMOLOGY: “confluence (of the river) Gafenni (and the river
Wysg)” (aber = confluence) + (Gafenni, a river name)
(delwedd
7383)
:_______________________________.
Aber-gwaun <a-ber-GWAIN> [abɛrˡgwaɪn]
1 (town in the south-west) “(estuary
of the river Gwaun”)
The local pronunciation is Aber-gweun <a-ber-GWEIN> [abɛrˡgwəɪn]
:_______________________________.
Aber-gweun <a-ber-GWEIN> [abɛrˡgwəɪn] settlement name
1 local pronunciation of Aber-gwaun
:_______________________________.
Abergwenffrwd <a-ber-GWEN-ffrud> [abɛrˡgwɛnfrʊd]
1 SO5306 A village in the
The Gwenffrwd stream is mentioned in Llyfr Llan-daf / The Book of
Llandaff c. 1125
(delwedd 7065)
http://www.geograph.org.uk/photo/493354
Abergwenffrwd
ETYMOLOGY: “aber Gwenffrwd” “(the) confluence (of the) Gwenffrwd (stream) (and
the river Gwy / Wye”)
Gwenffrwd is “white torrent” (gwen, feminine form of gwyn =
white) + (ffrwd = torrent, hillside stream)
:_______________________________.
Abergwyngregyn
<a-ber-gwən-GREE-gin> [abɛrgwənˡgreˑgɪn] 1
SH 6572 original name of the
ETYMOLOGY: “aber Gwyngregyn” the mouth of the Gwyngregyn stream (here it
enters Afon Menai, the strait between the mainland and the
:_______________________________.
Aberhafesb
<a-ber-HAAV-esp> [abɛrˡhɑˑvɛsp]
1 (SH0792)
locality in the county of Powys, (in the district of Maldwyn) 4km west of Y Drenewydd
2 The
stream name is to seen in the name Bedo Hafesb (fl. 1567-85), a poet from this area
http://www.geograph.org.uk/photo/540188
Eglwys Wynnog / Gwynnog’s Church
http://www.geograph.org.uk/photo/540375
Afon Hafren / River Severn
(“The Geograph British Isles project aims to collect geographically
representative photographs and information for every square kilometre of Great
Britain and Ireland…”)
ETYMOLOGY: “the confluence of the Hafesb stream (and the
river Hafren)”
(aber = confluence) + (Hafesb).
The name Hafesb means “dry in summer”;
hafesb, feminine form of hafysb < haf-hysb “dry
in summer’,
(haf = summer) + (hysb = dry).
The Hafesb stream joins the river Hafren below the parish church.
NOTE: The spelling used in English Aberhafesp is from an incorrect Welsh
spelling (with final p instead of final b)
:_______________________________.
Aberhonddu <a-ber-HON-dhi> [abɛrˡhɔnðɪ] feminine noun
1 place name (“(the) confluence (of
the river) Honddu” (– the affluent - and the Wysg – the main river at
this place)
(aber = confluence) + (Honddu =
river name)
:_______________________________.
Aber Mynwy <a-ber-MƏ-nui> [abɛrˡmənʊɪ] non-settlement name
1 confluence of the river Mynwy
(English name: Monnow) and the river Wysg (English name: Usk).
Here the town of Trefynwy is
situated (English name: Monmouth) .
Monmouth is in fact an early direct English translation of Aber Mynwy
It is (‘Monnow’ English form of the river name Mynwy) + (‘mouth’, translation
of aber = confluence, river-mouth)
The use of ‘mouth’ in English to denote a confluence of a streams is very
unusual – normally it refers only to the place a river enters the sea
Although Monnow [ˡmɔnou] appears to be very different from the Welsh name Mynwy [ˡmənui] , it is probably a fairly good representation of the
local Welsh pronunciation when Welsh was the language of the area.
Final –wy [ui] in COLLOQUIAL WELSH is generally reduced to –w [ʊ] . Hence Mynwy [ˡmənʊ] .
ETYMOLOGY: (aber = river mouth,
confluence) + (Mynwy river name)
:_______________________________.
Aber-nant <a-ber NANT> [abɛrˡnant]
1 SO0103 District name, Aber-dÂr
http://www.geograph.org.uk/photo/680074 Aber-nant
Apparently from a farm name
Aber-nant-y-groes, from the name of a confluence. Aber Nant y Groes, “(the)
confluence (of) Nant y Groes [and Afon Cynon]”. Nant y Groes is “(the) stream
(of) the cross” (nant = stream) + (y = the) + soft mutation + (croes
= cross)
:_______________________________.
Yr Aber-oer <a-ber OIR> [abɛrˡɔɪr] feminine noun
1 SJ2849 Na,e of a farm by Y Bers / Bersham, Wrecsam
http://www.geograph.org.uk/browse.php?p=314466
map
ETYMOLOGY: “the cold stream” (yr definite article) + (aber = stream
(
:_______________________________.
Aberpandy <a-ber-PAN-di> [abɛrˡpanðɪ] feminine noun
1
fictional (and most unlikely!) Welsh name for a pit village in the Morgannwg
coalfield
ETYMOLOGY: aber pandy < aber y
pandy “(the) confluence (of) the fulling mill” (aber = river mouth, confluence) + (y definite article) + (pandy fulling mill).
Although Aberpandy was probably coined for its euphonious effect, using
two common place name elements which are easy for English-speakers to recognise
and pronounce, this combination of elements sounds in fact very unnatural since
Aber names are almost invariably followed by the name of a lesser stream
when it means “confluence of a tributary with a main stream or river”, or the
name of the river when it means “confluence with the sea”.
The name occurs in the play “Change” (1913) by the English-language
playwright J. O. Francis (John Oswald Francis) (1882 Dowlais – 1956
Y Pandy is a well-known elelemnt in the area, as it is the name of a district in Merthyrtudful; and names in aber abound (Aber-dâr, Aberaman,
(Interestingly, in middle age J.O. Francis, though by now living in
The action of the Play takes place in the living-room of the Prices' Cottage
on the Twmp, Aberpandy... “I remember Aberpandy before ever the
Powell-Griffiths sank the first pit, and the sheep of Pandy Farm were grazing
quiet where the Bryndu Pit is now.”
es
are filmed in the bar of the Aberpandy Rugby Football Club.
:_______________________________.
Abertawe <a-ber-TAU-e> [abɛrˡtaʊɛ] feminine noun
1 City in south-east
Called
Ymddiriedolaeth Brifysgol y Gwasanaeth Iechyd
Gwladol Abertawe Bro Morgannwg
<əm-dhi-ri-e-DOO-laith briv-ə-skol ə
gwa-SAA-naith YEE-khiid GwLAA-dol a-ber-TAU-e BROO mor-GA-nug>
[əmðɪrɪɛˡdoˑlaɪθ brɪvˡəskɔl ə gwaˡsɑˑnaɪθ
jeˑxɪd gwlɑˑdɔl
abɛrˡtaʊɛ broː morˡganʊg]
The Abertawe Bro Morgannwg National Health Service
Trust
ETYMOLOGY:
“(the) estuary (of the river) Tawe (aber = estuary / confluence) + (Tawe).
:_______________________________.
aberth <AA-berth> [ˡɑˑbɛrθ] masculine
noun
PLURAL aberthau, ebyrth <a-BER-thai, -e, EE-birth> [aˡbɛrθaɪ,
-ɛ, ˡeˑbɪrθ]
1 sacrifice = an offering of a victim to a god to appease the god
2 victim = the person or animal who is sacrificed in a religious
rite
3 sacrifice = symbolic offering to a god
Lefiticus 7:11 Dyma hefyd ºgyfraith
yr ebyrth hedd a offryma efe i’r
Arglwydd... (7:18) Ac os bwyteir dim
o ºgig offrwm ei ebyrth hedd ef o ºfewn y trydydd dydd, ni byddir bodlon i’r
hwn a’i ººººhoffrymo ef, ac nis cyfrifir iddo, ffieiddbeth fydd; a’r dyn a
ºfwyty ohono, a ºddwg ei anwiredd.
Leviticus
aberth hedd, peace offering
Numeri 7:
Numbers 7: 88 And all the oxen for
the sacrifice of the peace offerings were twenty and four bullocks, the rams
sixty, the he-goats sixty, the lambs of the first year sixty
Also: hedd-aberth peace offering
Leviticus 7: 13 Heblaw’r teisennau,
offrymed ºfara lefeinllyd, yn ei offrwm, gyda’i hedd-aberth o ºddiolch
Leviticus 7: 13 Besides the cakes, he shall offer for his offering leavened
bread with the sacrifice of thanksgiving of his peace offerings
Hedd-aberth Street name in the
village of Onllwyn (county of Castell-nedd ac Aberafan), South-east Wales
4 sacrifice = the act of giving something at great personal cost
(love, attention, time, money, etc) in order to benefit somebody else
5 sacrifice = death in a war;
Eu ººººhaberth nid â’n angof =
inscription on war memorials (“their sacrifice shall not be forgotten”)
‹eu = their, aberth = sacrifice, nid = not, aa =
will go, yn = “in” (linking particle), angof = no-memory, state of forgetting,
oblivion›
6 mynd yn aberth i fall
victim to
myned yn aberth i’w ºdrachwant be the
victim of his greed / thirst (e.g. die from drinking too much in a drinking
session)
7 yr aberth, the host, the bread consecrated in the Eucharist (the
English word is from Old French “oiste” from Latin “hostia” = victim) Also: aberth yr offeren (‘the host of the
mass’)
8 hunan-aberth self sacrifice
ETYMOLOGY: Welsh < British < Celtic, based on bher- (=
to carry); the element ‘bher-’ is to be found in other Welsh words, such as aber (= estuary), cymer (= confluence)
:_______________________________.
aberthu <a-BER-thi> [aˡbɛrθɪ] verb
1 sacrificar
2 aberthu eich bywyd er
mwyn... (rhywbeth) sacrifice your life for (something)
:_______________________________.
Aber-wysg <a-ber-UISK> [abɛrˡʊɪsk]
1 place name (estuary of the river
Tawe), Casnewydd /
The English call it Uskmouth.
http://www.geograph.org.uk/photo/356135
ETYMOLOGY:
“(the) mouth (of the river) Wysg / Usk. Here it flows into Môr Hafren /
the
(aber = estuary / confluence) + (Wysg = river name).
:_______________________________.
abid <AA-bid> [ˡɑˑbɪd]
feminine noun
PLURAL abidau
<a-BII-dai, -e> [aˡbiˑdaɪ, -ɛ]
1
habit = clothes of a monk, nun
ETYMOLOGY: 1300-1400 from English habit,
now [hábit],
but formerly [abit] -
the initial h was at first silent in this words in English) < Old French habit (silent h) < Latin habitus
< habêre (= to have).
It may however though have come directly from French into Welsh.
:_______________________________.
abl <AA-bal> [ˡɑˑbal] adjective
1
able, capable
2 wealthy
NOTE: In the English dialect of Llanidloes:
ABLE, having property or wealth. “An able man” is a man that is well off,
wealthy. “He is very able” he is rich, or wealthy. (Parochial Account of
Llanidloes / Edward Hamer / Chapter X / Folk-lore. Page 278 Collections
Historical and Archeological Relating to
Montgomeryshire and its Borders / 1877).
:_______________________________.
abl.
1 abbreviation (in a dictionary entry) = abladol ablative
:_______________________________.
abladol <ab-LAA-dol> [abˡlɑˑdɔl] adjective
1
ablative
Abbreviation: abl.
:_______________________________.
Ábraham <A-bra-ham> [ˡabraham] masculine noun
1 man's
name
2 (Hen Déstament / Old
Testament) Abraham = the first of the patriarchs, father of Isaac, and
progenitor of the Hebrews
mynwes Ábraham Abraham’s bosom, the place
of rest after death for those who have led a just life
Luc 16:22 A bu,
i’r cardotyn farw, a’i ddwyn gan yr angylion i fynwes Abraham. A’r goludog
hefyd a fu farw, ac a gladdwyd.
Luke
:_______________________________.
Abram <A-bram> [ˡabram] masculine noun
1 Abraham
:_______________________________.
abred <A-bred> [ˡabrɛd] masculine noun
1 (obsolete) delivery, release
2 diabred withheld, held
back, refused, denied
In the north of the county of Powys, between Caer-sŵs and Llandinam, there
is land originally called Rhos ºDdiabred
(literally “moor which has been held back”, apparently referring to ownership).
Nowadays the name is Rhos ºDdiarbed
(the result of confusion with the word diarbed
= ceaseless, relentless, unrelenting)
3 (
yn abred gwyllt in wild confusion
(“in wild disorder”)
ETYMOLOGY: Welsh < British *ad-brit-â
(= 'that which is carried to the outside')
cf the ETYMologies of aber (= estuary), aberth (= sacrifice)
:_______________________________.
absen <AB-sen> [ˡabsɛn] masculine or feminine noun
1 absence,
being away
Angof pob absen Out of sight, out of mind
(“(it-is) oblivion every absence”)
2 slander,
malicious talk of someone in their absence
diabsen who refrains from speaking
badly of others (“without slander”)
ETYMOLOGY: 1300-1400 Welsh < a learnèd
borrowing from Latin absentia (= absence)
:_______________________________.
absennol <ab-SE-nol> [abˡsɛnɔl] adjective
1 absent
:_______________________________.
absenoldeb <ab-se-NOL-deb> [absɛˡnɔldɛb] masculine noun
1 absence
yn f’absenoldeb in my absence
2 cennad absenoldeb leave of absence
ETYMOLOGY: (absenol- < absennol = absent) + (-deb suffix for forming abstract
nouns)
:_______________________________.
abwth <AA-buth> [ˡɑˑbʊθ]
masculine
noun
1 (South-east Wales) injury
cääl abwth ar ei arddwrn injure his
wrist
2 (South-east Wales) shock, fright
3 (county of Preseli) caal
loos ac abwth be hurt and shocked
4 (county of Preseli) abwth
iddo stuff him!
ETYMOLOGY: abwth, possibly a variant
of the dialect form adwth < adwyth (= illness, misfortune)
:_______________________________.
abwyd <AA-buid> [ˡɑˑbʊɪd] masculine noun
1 bait
2 deintio’r abwyd nibble the bait
:_______________________________.
ac <AAG, AG> [ɑːg, ag] (conjunction)
1 and (before a vowel)
:_______________________________.
ac.
1 abbreviation (in a dictionary entry)
acen accent
aceniad accentuacion
acennog stressed, accented
:_______________________________.
academaidd <a-ka-DE-maidh, medh> [akaˡdɛmaɪð,
-ɛð] adjective
1 academic
:_______________________________.
ac ati <ag-A-ti> [ag ˡatɪ] phrase
1 and so on
:_______________________________.
ACCENT SHIFT
Certain place names have undergone accent shift to a
preceding syllable—
1 *Bryn-y-groes / *Bryn-croes > Bryncoes (i.e. the
pronunciation is “Brýncroes”)
SH2231 in Gwynedd
2 Llan-bedr > Llanbedr (i.e. the pronunciation is Llánbedr) in most cases of this common place name, though the village
of this name in Sir Fynwy / Monmouthshire retains the stress on the final
syllable (Llan-bedr)
2 Llan-dduw > Llandduw (i.e. the pronunciation is “Llándduw”) ‹ LHAN-dhiu › [ˡɬanðɪʊ]
SO0561 ancient name of Llandrindod, a town in the
ETYMOLOGY: “church (of) God”, church dedicated
to God.
(llan = church) + soft mutation + (Duw = God)
Although one might think that Llandduw is
an erroneous spelling for Llan-dduw (with the accent on the final syllable),
the name is an example of accent shift to a preceding syllable, and so as such
the spelling Llandduw correctly indicates the pronunciation.
3 Llan-fair > Llanfair (i.e. the pronunciation is Llánfair) in most cases of this common place name, though the village
of this name in the count of Rhnodda Cynin Taf retains the stress on the final
syllable (Llan-fair)
4 Llan-y-cil > Llanycil (i.e. the
pronunciation is Llanýcil) ‹ lhan-Ə-kil›
1 a village SH9134 and parish in Gwynedd, by Llyn Tegid, south-west
of Y Bala, about
5 Pen-y-goes > Pen-e-goes > Penegoes
(i.e.
the pronunciation is “Penégoes”)
6 Tref-y-clawdd
> Trefyclo (i.e. the pronunciation is “Trefýclo”) (English name:
Knighton)
:_______________________________.
acen, PLURAL: acenion
<A-ken, -a-KEN-yon> [ˡakɛn,aˡkɛnjɔn] feminine noun
1 accent
Abbreviation: (in a dictionary entry) ac.
acen
bwys <a-ken -BUIS> [ˡakɛn
ˡbʊɪs] stress accent (“accent (of)
stress / weight”)
acen ddisgynedig <A-ken dhi-skə-NEE-dig> [ˡakɛn
ðɪskəˡneˑdɪg] grave accent (“descending
accent”)
acen ddyrchafedig <A-ken dhər-kha-VEE-dig> [ˡakɛn
ðərxaˡveˑdɪg] acute accent (“rising
accent”)
acen drom <a-ken DROM> [ˡakɛn
ˡdrɔm] grave accent (“heavy
accent”)
acen grom <a-ken GROM> [ˡakɛn
ˡgrɔm] circumflex (“hunched
accent”)
acen lem <a-ken LEM> [ˡakɛn
ˡlɛm] acute accent (“sharp
accent”)
2 sound, note, song
Acen Colomen “(the) note (of) (a) dove”. Folk tune name mentioned in “The Cambrian Quarterly
Magazine and Celtic Repertory” (1830). English name appended: The Cooing of the
Dove
:_______________________________.
aceniad <a-KEN-yad> [aˡkɛnjad] masculine noun
1 accentuation
Abbreviation: (in a dictionary entry) ac.
:_______________________________.
acennog <a-KE-nog> [aˡkɛnɔg] adjective
1 stressed, accented
Abbreviation:
(in a dictionary entry) ac.
:_______________________________.
acennu <a-KE-ni> [aˡkɛnɪ] verb
1
to stress, to accent
:_______________________________.
acer <A-ker> [ˡakɛr] feminine noun
1 acre
2 Acaryforwyn
Street name in Dinbych (incorrectly spelt as “Accar-y-Forwyn”)
“acre / field (of) the Virgin (Mary)”
(acer) + soft mutation + (y definite article) + (morwyn = maid; maiden; the Virgin Mary
)
:_______________________________.
ach, PLURAL: achau <AAKH,
AA-khai, -khe> [ɑːx,
ˡɑˑxaɪ, -ɛ] feminine noun