Today’s word of the day is the adjective rhyfeddol, which means wonderful or extraordinary.
rhyfeddol
wonderful / extraordinary
This word comes from rhyfedd, which is also an adjective, meaning strange. The –ol doesn’t mean much; it’s just a common suffix for adjectives in Welsh. Examples of it in action could include dynol (human) from dyn (man, or sometimes human) or ariannol (financial) from arian (money).
Before we move forward, let’s quickly cover mutations. Rhyfeddol is only subject to one mutation, which is the soft mutation.
Soft mutation
ryfeddol
Nasal mutation
N/A
Aspirate mutation
N/A
Because this word begins with rh, there are some cases where the soft mutation doesn’t apply. For example, if you are saying it is wonderful, that would be mae’n rhyfeddol, without the mutation. Yn doesn’t cause a soft mutation here in the way that it normally does.
Other common words which as a rule cause soft mutation but which don’t affect rhyfeddol include rhy (too) and mor (so).
Now, it may seem unintuitive that rhyfeddol comes from rhyfedd (strange). After all, in modern English we usually use wonderful to refer to something that is simply bendigedig (excellent) or prydferth (beautiful).
But if we think of the word wonder as a verb, it often refers to meddwl (thinking) about something that is rhyfedd, confusing, or out of the ordinary. And consider phrases like weird and wonderful or strange and beautiful – the od (odd), the anhygoel (incredible), and the ardderchog (excellent) are really all connected.
Rhyfedd and rhyfeddol aren’t the only two words in this etymological family. There’s also rhyfeddod (a wonder, a marvel), rhyfeddoldeb (wonderment), and rhyfeddu (to wonder at, to be amazed). Plus, there are the comparative degrees of rhyfeddol, which are rhyfedded (equally wonderful), rhyfeddach (more wonderful), and rhyfeddaf (most wonderful).
You can also use the word as an adferf (adverb), in which case it would appear as yn rhyfeddol (wonderfully).
Roeddwn i’n meddwl bod mynd o dan y rhaeadr yn brofiad rhyfeddol.
I thought that going under the waterfall was a wonderful experience.
Emphatic ansoddeiriau (adjectives) like this are super useful in Welsh for expressing teimladau (feelings) and barnau (feelings). Some other great choices include:
- syfrdanol = wonderful, awe-inspiring, astounding
- anghredadwy = unbelievable, incredible
- gwyrthiol = marvellous, miraculous, remarkable
- rhagorol = excellent, splendid
- penigamp = excellent, champion
- gwych = great, excellent
As you can see from the rather expansive definitions I’ve given for each word, ansoddeiriau like this don’t usually map perfectly from one language to another. But by reading as widely as you can and speaking to lots of people, you’ll quickly develop a sense of when and how to use them.
In general, rhyfeddol is primarily used to refer to things that are wonderful in the traditional sense – they refer to something that is in some way strange, or that we wouldn’t see every day.
These things might also be considered rhagorol or gwych on top of that, but they earn their identity as rhyfeddol through being somehow out of the ordinary. The word hasn’t undergone the same level of semantic dilution that its English equivalent has. And if it is used to describe something that is simply da iawn (very good), it’s because it’s da to an uncommon or very impressive extent – you could praise gwaith rhyfeddol (phenomenal work), for example, if that gwaith was of an unusually high quality.
Mae’n hollol ryfeddol i mi nad ydych chi’n deall y broblem.
I find it extraordinary that you don’t understand the problem.
A good example of something that is rhyfeddol would be one of Saith Rhyfeddod y Byd (the Seven Wonders of the World).
Of course there are quite a few different lists of rhyfeddod y byd (wonders of the world), but all of the entries fit the definition of being rhyfeddol because they are considered hardd (beautiful), anarferol (unusual), and syfrdanol all at once. Whether it’s the impressive feats of human ingenuity that are the pyramidiau (pyramids), or the incredible natural harddwch (beauty) of Y Barriff Mawr (the Great Barrier Reef), they’re called rhyfeddodau (wonders) for a reason.
Another example of the use of the word is in the Welsh Bible. Y Salmau (Psalms) 139:14 famously reads I am fearfully and wonderfully made, which in Welsh is written yr wyt yn ofnadwy a rhyfeddol.
Yr wyt is a now quite literary and formal way of saying I am, but the rest of the expression is familiar – you may know the word ofnadwy, which means terrible or formidable, and then of course there’s our new friend rhyfeddol.
There is plenty in our byd (world) that is rhyfeddol in all senses of the world, its harddwch and its hynodrwydd (strangeness, remarkableness) inseparable – from the dirgelion (mysteries) of the cyfundrefn heulol (solar system) to the gwyrth (miracle) of the human corff (body). What do you find rhyfeddol?
