This is a list ofEnglish language words ofWelsh language origin. As with the Goidelic languages, the Brythonic tongues are close enough for possible derivations fromCumbric,Cornish orBreton in some cases.
Beyond the acquisition of common nouns, there are numerous English toponyms, surnames, personal names or nicknames derived from Welsh (seeCeltic toponymy,Celtic onomastics).[1]
from Old Celticbardos, either through Welshbardd (where the bard was highly respected) or Scottishbardis (where it was a term of contempt); Cornishbardh
theOxford English Dictionary says the etymology is "uncertain", but Welshgwlanen = "flannel wool" is likely. An alternative source is Old Frenchflaine, "blanket". The word has been adopted in most European languages. An earlier English form wasflannen, which supports the Welsh etymology. Shakspeare'sThe Merry Wives of Windsor contains the term "the Welsh flannel".[3][4]
a type of small, thick pancake. Derived from theWelshbara pyglyd, meaning "pitchy [i.e. dark or sticky] bread", later shortened simply topyglyd;[5][6] The early 17th century lexicographer,Randle Cotgrave, spoke of "our Welsh barrapycleds".[7][8] The word spread initially to the West Midlands of England,[9] where it was anglicised topicklets and then topikelets.[8] The first recognisable crumpet-type recipe was forpicklets, published in 1769 byElizabeth Raffald inThe Experienced English Housekeeper.[10]
Similar cognates acrossGoidelic (gaelic),Latin,Old French and the otherBrittonic families makes isolating a precise origin hard. This applies tocross from Latincrux, Old Irishcros overtaking Old Englishrood ; appearing in Welsh and Cornish asCroes,Krows. It complicatesOld Welsh attributions for, in popular and technical topography,Tor (OWtŵr) andcrag (Old Welshcarreg orcraig) with competing Celtic derivations, direct and indirect, for the Old English antecedents.
coombe
meaning "valley", is usually linked with the Welshcwm, also meaning "valley", Cornish and Bretonkomm. However, the OED traces both words back to an earlier Celtic word, *kumbos. It suggests a directOld English derivation for "coombe".
(Coumba, or coumbo, is the common western-alpine vernacular word for "glen", and considered genuine gaulish (celtic-ligurian branch). Found in many toponyms of the western Alps like Coumboscuro (Grana valley), Bellecombe and Coumbafréide (Aoste), Combette (Suse), Coumbal dou Moulin (Valdensian valleys). Although seldom used, the word "combe" is included into major standard-french dictionaries. This could justify the celtic origin thesis).[citation needed]
From the Old Celticderwijes/derwos ("true knowledge" or literally "they who know the oak") from which the modern Welsh wordderwydd evolved, but travelled to English through Latin (druidae) and French (druide)
possibly frompen gwyn, "white head". "The fact that the penguin has a black head is no serious objection."[3][4] It may also be derived from theBreton language, or theCornish Language, which are all closely related. However, dictionaries suggest the derivation is fromWelshpen "head" andgwyn "white", including theOxford English Dictionary,[15] theAmerican Heritage Dictionary,[16] theCentury Dictionary[17] andMerriam-Webster,[18] on the basis that the name was originally applied to thegreat auk, which had white spots in front of its eyes (although its head was black).Pen gwyn is identical in Cornish and in Breton. An alternative etymology links the word to Latinpinguis, which means "fat". In Dutch, the alternative word for penguin is "fat-goose" (vetgans see: Dutch wiki or dictionaries under Pinguïn), and would indicate this bird received its name from its appearance.
Mither
An English word possibly from the Welsh word "moedro" meaning to bother or pester someone. Possible links to the Yorkshire variant "moither"
These are the words widely used byWelsh English speakers, with little or no Welsh, and are used with original spelling (largely used in Wales but less often by others when referring to Wales):
broad cultural festival, "session/sitting" from eistedd "to sit" (from sedd "seat," cognate with L. sedere; see sedentary) + bod "to be" (cognate with O.E. beon; see be).[20]
Urdd Eisteddfod (in Welsh "Eisteddfod Yr Urdd"), the youth Eisteddfod
homesickness tinged with grief or sadness over the lost or departed. It is a mix of longing, yearning, nostalgia, wistfulness, or an earnest desire.
hwyl
iechyd da
cheers, or literally "good health"
mochyn
pig
nant
stream
sglod, sglods
latter contrasts to Welsh plural which is sglodion. Chips (England); fries (United States); french-fried potatoes such as from takeaways (used in Flintshire)
^Max FörsterKeltisches Wortgut im Englischen, 1921, cited byJ.R.R. Tolkien,English and Welsh, 1955. "many 'English' surnames, ranging from the rarest to the most familiar, are linguistically derived from Welsh, from place-names, patronymics, personal names, or nick-names; or are in part so derived, even when that origin is no longer obvious. Names such as Gough, Dewey, Yarnal, Merrick, Onions, or Vowles, to mention only a few."
