Did you know that some commonly used English words are actually Welsh? I didn’t till now, so let’s have a look!
Avon from Welsh afon; Cornish avon
Coracle from corwgl. But this Welsh term was derived from the Latin corium meaning “leather or hide”, the material from which coracles are made.
Crockery: It has been suggested that crockery might derive from the Welsh crochan, as well as the Manx crocan and Gaelic crogan, meaning “pot”.
Crumpet: Welsh crempog Cornish or Breton Krampoez; ‘little hearth cakes’
Corgi from cor, “dwarf” + gi (soft mutation of ci), “dog”.
Crag from an Insular Celtic source, perhaps from Welsh craig’or ‘Carreg.;[3][4] Cornish karrek
Dad from Welsh tad. From a common Proto-Indo-European root used in many other languages, but almost certainly entered English from Welsh as the Old English equivalent was fæder (father) from Proto-Germanic fader Cornish; tas
Flannel the Oxford English Dictionary says the etymology is “uncertain”, but Welsh gwlanen = “flannel wool” is likely. An alternative source is Old French flaine, “blanket”. The word has been adopted in most European languages. An earlier English form was flannen, which supports the Welsh etymology. Shakspeare’s The Merry Wives of Windsorcontains the term “the Welsh flannel”
Flummery: from llymru
Possibly penguin: Possibly from pen gwyn, “white head”. “The fact that the penguin has a black head is no serious objection. It may also be derived from the Breton language, or theCornish Language, which are all closely related. However, dictionaries suggest the derivation is from Welsh pen “head” and gwyn “white”, including the Oxford English Dictionary, the American Heritage Dictionary, the Century Dictionary and Merriam-Webster, on the basis that the name was originally applied to the great auk, which had white spots in front of its eyes (although its head was black). Pen gwyn is identical in Cornish and in Breton.
Tref: meaning “hamlet, home, town.”; Cornish tre.
Wrasse: a kind of sea fish (derived via Cornish wrach, Welsh gwrach (meaning hag or witch)).
Help keep news FREE for our readers
Supporting your local community newspaper/online news outlet is crucial now more than ever. If you believe in independent journalism, then consider making a valuable contribution by making a one-time or monthly donation. We operate in rural areas where providing unbiased news can be challenging. Read More About Supporting The West Wales Chronicle
