Prydain
Welsh
Etymology
From Middle Welsh Prydein, from early Proto-Brythonic *Pritanī, a variant of *Pritenī, which survives in Prydyn (“Picts”) and as an early borrowing in Old Irish Cruthin, Irish Cruithne (“Picts”). The Modern Welsh continuation of Latin Brittānia, in contrast, is Brython.
Proper noun
Prydain f
- Britain
- Maen nhw'n byw ym Mhrydain Fawr rŵan. ― They live in Great Britain now.(Northern dialect)
- Maen nhw'n byw ym Mhrydain Fawr nawr. ― They live in Great Britain now.(Southern dialect)
Usage notes
In medieval texts, the term often refers to the northernmost part of the island, beyond the Forth and Clyde. Where the island as a whole is meant, the phrase Ynys Prydain (Latin insula Britanniae, "Isle of Britain") is commonly used.
Derived terms
- Prydain Fawr (“Great Britain”)
Mutation
| Welsh mutation | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| radical | soft | nasal | aspirate |
| Prydain | Brydain | Mhrydain | Phrydain |
| Note: Some of these forms may be hypothetical. Not every possible mutated form of every word actually occurs. | |||