Welsh Word of the Day: Gofod (space)

Today’s Welsh Word of the Day is gofod, which means space. Just like the English word space, gofod (plural: gofodau) can refer to outer space or simply to a gap (e.g. leave a space for me!). gofod space Gofod is a masculine noun and is susceptible to the soft and nasal mutations. Soft mutationofod Nasal …

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Welsh Word of the Day: Derbyn (to receive)

How did you discover today’s article? Was it via Gwgl (Google)? Were you sent it gan ffrind (by a friend)? Or, maybe, have you been derbyn (receiving) word-of-the-day email updates from us? derbyn to receive If you’re not subscribed to our cylchlythyr (newsletter), do sign up now – you’ll get sent an e-bost (e-mail) each …

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Welsh Word of the Day: Wy (egg)

Wy is the Welsh word for egg, and it’s our word of the day today. wy egg The evolution of the word wy is uncertain, but it’s hypothesised that it (and similar words in other Celtic languages) come from a proto-Celtic root word that was something like *auio or *awyom. Catchy! Wy first appeared in …

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Welsh Word of the Day: Enfys (rainbow)

There’s perhaps no view as universally beloved as that of the enfys (rainbow), a pattern of colours in the sky caused by the movement of light through airborne water. Often seen as symbolising hope, luck, and prosperity, enfysau / enfysoedd (rainbows) inspire artists and dreamers everywhere. enfys rainbow Geiriadur Prifysgol Cymru (The University of Wales …

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Welsh Word of the Day: Madarch (mushrooms)

What foods can you think of that people either love or hate? The most popular example has got to be Marmite, but other controversial foodstuffs include olewydd (olives), pysgod (fish), and the subject of today’s article, madarch (mushrooms). madarch mushrooms Before we begin, I’ve got to make my allegiance clear – dw i’n hoffi madarch …

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Welsh Word of the Day: Man (place / spot)

Today’s Welsh Word of the Day is man, which means place or spot. You might have seen this word pop up in place names such as Manafon (lit. river place) in Powys and Man-moel (lit. bare place) in Caerphilly. Man is an unusual word because it does not have a set grammatical gender; you can …

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Welsh Word of the Day: Defnyddio (to use)

Today’s Welsh word of the day is a bit of a mouthful, but it’s worth getting to grips with as it’s a really useful bit of vocabulary. It’s defnyddio, a verb-noun which means to use. defnyddio to use Defnyddio comes from the combination of the noun defnydd (use) with the suffix -io, which is commonly …

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Welsh Word of the Day: Ffurfiol (formal)

As with most languages, the kind of Welsh you should use depends on the situation you’re in and who you’re talking to. A lot of this depends on how ffurfiol (formal) you need to be. ffurfiol formal Ffurfiol is formed from the noun ffurf (form), combined with the suffix –iol, which is used a lot …

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Welsh Word of the Day: Hygyrch (accessible)

Something very important to consider when designing buildings, planning events, or creating resources is accessibility. This means generally how easy and convenient it is for people to make use of what you’re creating, but it’s often used specifically to refer to accessibility for disabled people. The Welsh word for accessible is hygyrch. hygyrch accessible The …

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Welsh Word of the Day: Cysgu (to sleep)

I always say I wish I had more time in the day to get all my housework done, or to have time to focus on hobbies… but realistically, if you gave me a few extra hours, I’d probably just use it for cysgu (sleeping). cysgu to sleep Cysgu is the verb form of the noun …

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