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Welsh
place names are usually quite descriptive - either of
the local geography or notable features. Most also use
the same construction as if you were denoting possession,
so ‘the estuary of the Tawe’, or Abertawe, (as opposed
to ‘the Tawe’s estuary’). Thus Brynmawr is ‘big hill’,
Penrhyndeudraeth is ‘the headland of the two beaches’,
Beddgelert is ‘the grave of Celert’ (more likely Saint
Celert, rather than Gelert, Prince Llewelyn ap Iorwerth’s
faithful dog, as is popularly thought).
|
Llanfairpwllgwyngyllgogerych-
wyrndrobwllllantysiliogogogoch is of course ‘the church
of St Mary in the hollow of the white hazel near the fierce
whirlpool and the church of Tysilio by the red cave’.
It started off as plain old Llanfairpwllgwyngyll, but
in the 1880s a Menai Bridge tailor decided to add a few
more syllables as a bit of a publicity stunt to pull in
the tourists. It worked, too. |
|
| aber |
river
mouth or estuary; confluence of two rivers |
|
hen |
old |
| afon |
river |
|
heol |
road |
| allt
|
cliff,
or wooded hill |
|
isa(f) |
lower |
| aran |
high
place |
|
llan |
clearing,
early church |
| bach |
small,
lesser |
|
llanerch |
glad |
| bedw |
birch |
|
lle |
place |
| bedd |
grave |
|
llech,
llechen |
slate |
| betws |
prayer-house |
|
llwybr |
path |
| brenin |
king |
|
llwyd |
grey |
| bron |
slope
of a hill |
|
llwyn |
grove |
| bryn |
hill |
|
llyn |
lake |
| bwlch |
mountain
pass, gap |
|
llys |
palace,
court |
| cadair |
chair,
stronghold |
|
maen |
stone |
| cae |
field |
|
maes |
field |
| caer |
fortified
settlement (like '-chester', '-burgh' or
'-bury' in English) |
|
marchnad |
market |
| canol |
centre |
|
mawr,
fawr |
great |
| cant |
hundred |
|
melin |
mill |
| capel |
chapel |
|
melyn |
yellow |
| carreg |
stone |
|
merthyr |
burial
place of a saint |
| cartref |
home |
|
moel |
bare
or rounded mountain |
| castell |
castle |
|
môr |
sea |
| cefn |
ridge |
|
morfa |
coastal
marsh |
| celyn |
holly |
|
mynydd |
mountain |
| clun |
meadow |
|
nant |
stream,
brook |
| clwyd |
gate,
perch |
|
neuadd |
hall |
| coch |
red |
|
newydd |
new |
| coed |
forest,
woodland |
|
nos |
night |
| cors |
bog |
|
ogof |
cave |
| craig |
rock |
|
olaf |
last |
| croes |
cross |
|
onn |
ash |
| croeso |
welcome |
|
pant |
hollow
(valley) |
| cwm |
bowl-shaped
glacial valley |
|
parc |
park |
| cwrt |
court |
|
pen |
head,
top of a valley |
| cyntaf |
first |
|
penrhyn |
headland |
| de |
south |
|
pentre(f) |
village |
| derw |
oak |
|
plas |
hall,
mansion |
| din/dinas |
fort,
city |
|
pont |
bridge |
| dros |
over |
|
porth |
port,
gateway |
| du |
black |
|
pwll |
pool |
| dwfr,
dwr |
water |
|
rhiw |
hill,
ascent |
| dwyrain |
east |
|
rhos |
moor,
heath |
| dyffryn |
valley
(broad, flat river valley) |
|
rhyd |
ford |
| eglwys |
church |
|
sant |
saint |
| eryri |
eagle's
domain |
|
sarn |
causeway |
| fawr |
big |
|
sir |
shire,
county |
| fferm |
farm |
|
taf |
dark |
| ffordd |
road |
|
tan |
under |
| fforest |
forest |
|
tomen |
mound |
| gardd |
garden |
|
traeth |
beach |
| glan |
shore,
bank |
|
traws |
cross |
| glas |
blue |
|
tref |
town |
| glo |
coal |
|
tw+r |
tower |
| glyn |
valley
(like the English 'vale') |
|
ty+,
tai |
house,
houses |
| gogledd |
north |
|
ucha(f) |
upper |
| gorllewin |
west |
|
uwch |
higher |
| gorsaf |
station |
|
wrth |
near,
by |
| gwaun |
meadow |
|
yr,
'r |
the |
| gwlad |
country |
|
ynys |
island |
| gwyn |
white |
|
ystrad
|
valley
(like the English 'vale') |
| gwyrdd |
green |
|
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|
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