Welsh
See also: welsh
English
Etymology
From Middle English Walsch, Welische, from Old English wīelisċ (“Briton; Roman; Celt”), from Proto-West Germanic *walhisk, from Proto-Germanic *walhiskaz (“Celt; later Roman”), from *walhaz (“Celt, Roman”) (compare Old English wealh), from the name of the Gaulish tribe, the Volcae (recorded only in Latin contexts).
This word was borrowed from Germanic into Slavic (compare Old Church Slavonic Влахъ (Vlaxŭ, “Vlachs, Romanians”), Byzantine Greek Βλάχος (Blákhos)).
Doublet of Vellish. Compare Walloon, walnut, Vlach, Walach, Gaul, Cornwall.
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): /wɛlʃ/
Audio (US) (file) - Rhymes: -ɛlʃ
Adjective
Welsh (not comparable)
- (now historical) (Native) British; pertaining to the Celtic peoples who inhabited much of Britain before the Roman occupation. [from 5thc.]
- 1985, Michael Wood, In Search of the Trojan War:
- The Tudors, it was argued, were of Welsh or ancient British descent.
- 1985, Michael Wood, In Search of the Trojan War:
- Of or pertaining to Wales. [from 11thc.]
- Of or pertaining to the Celtic language of Wales. [from 16thc.]
- Designating plants or animals from or associated with Wales. (See Derived terms.) [from 17thc.]
Synonyms
- Cambrian, Cymric, Walian, Welshy, Welshie
Derived terms
Derived terms
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Translations
of or pertaining to Wales
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of or pertaining to the Welsh language
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- The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables. See instructions at Wiktionary:Entry layout § Translations.
Translations to be checked
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Noun
Welsh (countable and uncountable, plural Welsh)
- (uncountable) The Welsh language. [from 10th c.]
- 1832, Queen Victoria, journal, 6 Aug 1832:
- 9 minutes to 2. We just stopped to have our horses' mouths washed, and there all people spoke welsh.
- 1832, Queen Victoria, journal, 6 Aug 1832:
- (collectively, in the plural) The people of Wales. [from 11th c.]
- A breed of pig, kept mainly for bacon.
Synonyms
- (language): Cymric, Kymric
- (people): See Welshman
Derived terms
- Welshland
- Welshman
(language):
- Old Welsh
- Middle Welsh
Translations
language
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collectively, people of Wales
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- The translations below need to be checked and inserted above into the appropriate translation tables. See instructions at Wiktionary:Entry layout § Translations.
Translations to be checked
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Proper noun
Welsh (plural Welshes)
- An English and Scottish surname transferred from the nickname for someone who was a Welshman or a Celt.
- An Irish surname, a variant of Walsh.
- A town in Louisiana, United States, named for early landowner Henry Welsh.
- An unincorporatedcommunity in Ohio, United States, named for an early settler.
See also
- Wiktionary’s coverage of Welsh terms
Further reading
- ISO 639-1 code cy, ISO 639-3 code cym (SIL)
- Ethnologue entry for Welsh, cym
Dutch
Etymology
From English Welsh.
Pronunciation
audio (file) - IPA(key): /ʋɛlʃ/
Noun
Welsh n (uncountable)
- Welsh, the language.
Synonyms
- Wels (unusual), Kymrisch
Adjective
Welsh (not comparable)
- Welsh
Inflection
| Inflection of Welsh | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| uninflected | Welsh | |||
| inflected | Welshe | |||
| comparative | — | |||
| positive | ||||
| predicative/adverbial | Welsh | |||
| indefinite | m./f. sing. | Welshe | ||
| n. sing. | Welsh | |||
| plural | Welshe | |||
| definite | Welshe | |||
| partitive | Welsh | |||
Synonyms
- Wels (unusual)