Oh no – another one of those awful Welsh words with no vowels! Of course, this isn’t really the case; today’s word of the day gwydr (glass) features y, which is a vowel in Welsh, and w, which is usually a vowel in Welsh, although only a semi-vowel in the word gwydr.
Gwydr is a masculine noun with the plural gwydrau.
gwydr
glass
gwydrau
glasses (not as in spectacles)
Vowels or no vowels, that finishing dr sound is still a bit of a tongue-twister, which is why many pronounce it with an additional syllable:
Though it’s an acceptable colloquial pronunciation in its own right, particularly common in South Wales, it also doubles as an easier alternative for learners. It’s even sometimes written like that: gwydyr.
This variation in spelling is reflected in the fact that you’ll find numerous tai (houses), strydoedd (streets), and gwestai (hotels) in Wales called Gwydyr or Gwydir. This is particularly the case in the vicinity of Coedwig Gwydyr (Gwydir Forest Park), near Betws-y-Coed. The coedwig (forest) is known for its numerous beautiful llynoedd (lakes) and for being a home to many rare species of planhigion (plants).
I once came across a street in England called Gwydir Street, which I suspect has some relation to the Welsh word too, as it certainly doesn’t look particularly English!
Mae’n gweithio ar gerflun gwydr.
He’s working on a glass sculpture.
Gwydr comes from the proto-Brittonic *gwidr, itself a borrowing from Latin vitrum.
It means glass in a general sense, as in the material, and in this sense functions as an adjective or noun. It can also mean a glass as in the kind you’d yfed (drink) from, though this is also called gwydryn or in some places just glàs.
Here’s how gwydr mutates:
Soft mutation
wydr
Nasal mutation
ngwydr
Aspirate mutation
N/A
For example, I have a glass is mae gen i wydr, with a soft mutation. If, after establishing that you have a gwydr, you need to identify it again, you can say fy ngwydr and voila! You’ve used the nasal mutation too.
Gwydr is an incredibly multi-functional defnydd (material) because of its ffurfiadwyedd (formability) and its properties of adlewyrchiad (reflection), plygiant (refraction), and trosglwyddiad (transmission). As such it’s used in products from ffenestrau (windows) to llestri (dishes, crockery) and gwyddoniaeth (science) to celf (art).
Some of the most common items made of gwydr to have around the tŷ (house) include poteli (bottles) in particular of gwin (wine), jariau / potiau (jars), bylbiau golau (light bulbs), fasys (vases) and jygiau (jugs). Only jariau a photeli (jars and bottles) should go in the bocs casglu gwydr (glass collection box) for ailgychu (recycling) though!
Gad i ni gael paned yn y ‘stafell wydr.
Let’s have a cuppa in the conservatory.
Gwydr turns up in ffotograffiaeth (photography) too, and what’s called a lens in English can be lens or gwydryn in Welsh. Many people also have gemwaith (jewellery) made in whole or in part of gwydr.
And all sorts of words have gwydr as a basis, like:
- chwyddwydr = magnifying glass
- gwydr lliw = stained glass
- gwydrog / gwydraidd = synonyms of gwydr as an adjective
- tŷ gwydr = greenhouse, literally glass house
- (y)stafell wydr = conservatory
- gwydro = to glaze
- gwydrach = pieces of broken glass
- gwydraid / llond gwydryn = a glassful (of something)
And if you’re wondering – the facet of newid hinsawdd (climate change) known as the greenhouse effect is indeed just yr effaith tŷ gwydr in Welsh.
O diar, mae ‘na grac yng ngwydr y ffenestr.
Oh dear, there’s a crack in the window glass.
On the other hand, there are also a few uses of glass in English that don’t correspond to uses of gwydr in Welsh:
- drych = looking-glass / mirror
- sbectol = pair of glasses
- cloc tywydd = storm glass / weather glass
- cwarel = pane of glass
- â llygaid pŵl / â llygaid dwl = glassy-eyed
And we also use the adjective glassy in English for a lot of different meanings, which translate in different ways to Welsh.
Of a llyn (lake) or similar, glassy can indeed become gwydraidd or fel gwydr (like glass). If you’re using it to mean shining, gloyw or disglair might be better but gwydraidd could work. Several species of anifail (animal) or pysgod (fish) are called glass in English because they are see-through, and in this case, the best way to capture this effect in Welsh is probably to just use the word tryloyw (transparent).
Did you know that gwydr (glass) can be created naturally from llosgfynyddoedd (volcanoes)? It can also be formed from a strike of mellt (lightning) or even awyrfeini (meteorites). Quite an exciting origin for the defnydd we use to drink from every day!
