The Welsh word anwes is a noun that can’t be translated directly into English. It can refer to a physical caress, but is also more abstract and could mean an indulgence or an excessive fondness. It’s masculine, and pluralises to anwesau.
But it’s quite likely that if you’ve encountered this word before as a learner, it will have been as an adjective meaning treated as a pet. This is well-known because of the important everyday phrase anifail anwes (a pet).
anwes
pet / a caress
anwesau
caresses
Anwes comes from the root gwes, which tends to appear in words signifying safety and comfort. It is most likely from the proto-Indo-European *hews (to stay). The prefix an– intensifies the meaning and also causes a soft mutation. This is why it’s anwes and not angwes.
Anwes as a noun is synonymous with the variant form anwesiad. Also, some North Walians may colloquially pronounce it anwas.
As I said, it’s either a noun with a variety of meanings, or an adjective meaning pet. It can’t be used as a verb directly, but the verb anwesu is obviously derived from it and means to pet or to caress. Synonyms include mwytho and rhoi maldod.
The kind of nouns it can be used to describe as an adjective is more limited than in English, though. In English, we often say pet when we really mean favourite, like pet theory. In Welsh, we would directly translate favourite theory, so that becomes hoff ddamcaniaeth.
Similarly, pet hate in Welsh doesn’t use the word anwes. Instead, we would just say first hate, which is prif gasbeth.
So really, anwes is used in quite limited contexts. It isn’t impossible to hear gair anwes (pet word / term of endearment) and enw anwes (pet name), and older people might say mab anwes (pet son) or merch anwes (pet daughter) to mean a spoilt or favourited child.
But it’s mostly just used as an adjective in the phrase anifail anwes. This, of course, is a term that’s used all the time!
Dylech chi fynd â’ch anifeiliaid anwes at y milfeddyg yn gyson.
You should take your pets to the vet regularly.
People keep anifeiliaid anwes (pets) for all sorts of reasons. They provide cwmnïaeth (companionship), boost iechyd meddwl (mental health) and can teach children and teenagers cyfrifoldeb (responsibility). Some anifeiliaid serve a dual purpose, being both an anifail anwes and also being defnyddiol (useful) in another way. Cathod (cats) catch llygod (mice), for example, and ieir (chickens) lay wyau (eggs).
Here are some of the most popular anifeiliaid anwes for UK families:
- cath = cat
- ci = dog
- cwningen = rabbit
- mochyn cwta = guinea pig
- bochdew = hamster
- llygoden = mouse
- pysgodyn aur = goldfish
- parot = parrot
Some people go for more exotic alternatives like a neidr (snake) or corryn (spider). If you have a big gardd (garden), you might be able to keep ieir (chickens) or even a bigger animal like a ceffyl (horse). Growing up, I had geifr (goats) – not the most common choice, but I absolutely loved them.
Most compound terms that are about pets, like pet food or a pet shop, drop the anwes for concision. So you would buy bwyd anifeiliaid for your darling ci or cath at the siop anifeiliaid.
Do you have an anifail anwes? Tell us about your furry friend!
