Category: Welsh (Cymraeg)

Glances, glimpses and peeks

By Simon

This week I discovered that the French equivalent of a glance or a peek is un coup d’œil (‘a blow/stroke of the eye’), and to glance/peek is jeter un coup d’œil (‘to thow a stroke of the eye’) which I thought was an interesting way of saying it. Other ways of looking in French include voir (to look/see), un aperçu (a glimpse) and entrevoir / apercevoir (to glimpse)

Welsh equivalents of a glance or glimpse are cipolwg, cipdrem and cipedrych which is made up of cip (a snatching), golwg (sight, appearance, view), trem (look, sight) and edrych (to look/see).

Are there interesting equivalents of glance, glimpse, peek or related words in other languages?

Do other languages making a distinction between looking and seeing?

Les mots de la semaine

By Simon
français English Cymraeg Brezhoneg
les mains vide; bredouille empty-handed gwaglaw; llaw-wag beleg, glapez
(priser) le tabac à priser (to take) snuff (cymryd) snisin (prizenniñ) butun
moucher (une bougie/chandelle) to snuff out (a candle) diffodd (cannwyll) mouchañ (bouji(d)enn)
(donner/jeter) un coup d’œil (to) glance (taflu/bwrw) cipolwg (taoler) ur sell
un regard de côté/oblique a sideways glance cipolwg i’r ochr
au premier abord at first glance ar yr olwg gyntaf da gentañ penn
d’un (simple) coup d’œil at a glance ar gip/gipolwg; mewn amrantiad
couvert overcast (sky) cymylog; tywyll koumoulek
l’infirmière-chef (f) matron (in hospital) metron; penaethes penn klañvdiourez (?)
le sundae; la coupe glacée ice cream sundae hufen iâ a ffrwythau; syndi dienn-skorn gant frouezh
locataire (m/f) lodger (renter of room) lletwyr; lojar feurmour; lokitour
pensionnaire (m/f) lodger (with room and meals) lletwyr; lojar pañsioner

Knowledge and seeing

By Simon

I discovered today that there is a connection between the Gaelic word for knowledge, information, news – fios in Irish and Scottish Gaelic, fys in Manx – and the English words video and wit.

Their roots can all be traced back to the Proto-Indo-European root woid-/wid- (to see/to know), which, according to the OED, is also the root of words such as the Sanskrit वेदा (veda – knowledge); the Latin vidēre to see); the Welsh gwybod (to know); the Lithuanian véidas (face); and the Greek ἰνδάλλεσθαι (to appear).

The Irish and Scottish Gaelic word fios is also related to the word fionn (white, fair, pale; sincere, true, certain; small; fine, pleasant), which is how I discovered this while putting together a new page of Scottish Gaelic colours – you can see how easily I get distracted. This doesn’t worry me as it’s all very interesting.

Les mots de la semaine

By Simon
français English Cymraeg Brezhoneg
baver; tomber goutte à goutte to dribble diferu; dafnio babouzat
dribbler to dribble (football) treiglo; driblo; driblan dribiliañ
le plombage filling (in tooth) llenwad plomadenn
le porche; la véranda porch porth; cyntedd; portsh porched; chambarleg; heolienn
la porte d’entrée (maison); la portière avant (voiture) front door drws ffrynt dor-dal
la porte de derrière back door drws cefn dor a-dreñv
le château; le manoir mansion plas; plasty castell; maner
le commerce équitable fair trade masnach deg kenwerzh reizh
la pleine lune harvest moon lleuad fedi; lleuad y nawnos olau; lleuad gynhaeaf loargann
la bouilloire kettle tecell; tegell kitell, pod-berver
c’est une autre paire de manches that’s another kettle of fish peth arall yw hynny ur c’hoari all eo an dra-se
la colonne vertébrale spine (of person/animal) asgwrn cefn livenn-gein

Cymraeg ar y trên

By Simon

On my train back from London on Sunday evening the train manager started someone of his announcements Welsh. For example he said, “Croeso, welcome to this train”, and when checking tickets he said, “Diolch yn fawr, thank you very much” to everyone. I think this was the first time I’d heard Welsh being used on a train, so it caught my attention. I think that announcements on trains and stations in South Wales are usually in Welsh and English, but I had never heard them any elsewhere. The departures board in London Euston also listed the final destination of the trains as ‘Holyhead Caergybi’.

In Wales most signs are bilingual, as is printed material produced by public bodies. In Gaelic-speaking parts of Scotland some signs are bilingual and token amounts of Gaelic can be heard on ferries and sometimes elsewhere. The situation is similar with Manx in the Isle of Man. In Ireland many signs and notices are bilingual, but not much Irish is to be heard on public transport.

In other regions where minority languages are spoken, how visible / audible are the languages?

Les mots de la semaine

By Simon
français English Cymraeg Brezhoneg
l’allée (f) aisle (in a church or theatre) ystlys; eil ale
le couloir aisle (on plane, train or bus); corridor eil; coridor trepas
le moteur à réaction jet engine peiriant/motor jet
la fatigue due au décalage horaire jet lag jetludded skuizh dale-eur (?)
souffrir du décalage horaire to be jet-lagged bod yn jetludded gouzañv skuizh dale-eur (?)
la vérité finit toujours par se savoir the truth will out fe ddaw’r gwir i’r golau; taer yw’r gwir am y golau
s’en sortir très bien to come up smelling of roses
à fourrure furry (covered with fur) blewog blevenneg
poilu(e) furry (tail, body) blewog blevenneg
en peluche furry (toy) ffyrraidd grognonet
se retirer son permis de conduire to be disqualified from driving gwahardd rhywun rhag gyrru
être casse-pieds / emmerdant to be a pain in the neck bod yn bigyn yn dy glust di bezañ torr-penn
vitalité vitality bywiogrwydd; sioncrwydd buhezegezh
la veuve widow gweddw intañvez
le veuf widower gwr gweddw intañv
le boudin noir black pudding pwdin gwaed gwadegenn

Les mots de la semaine

By Simon
français English Cymraeg Brezhoneg
le campus; le cité universitaire campus campws kampus
les vents wind (flatulence) gwynt avel
le casse-croûte snack byrbryd; tamaid torr-naon; adlein
casser la croûte / la graine to have a bite/something to eat cael tamaid debriñ ur begad
grignoter to snack cael tamaid; cael pryd ysgafn krignat
l’amuse-gueule (m) appetizer; nibble mymryn; briwsionyn lipaj
le moucheron midge gwybedyn mân c’hwibu
gardien(ne); concierge caretaker gofalwr gourner; porzhier
la dialyse dialysis dialysis dializ
la gravité; le pesanteur gravity disgyrchiant graviter
en propriété libre freehold rhydd-ddaliadol; rhyddfreiniol
loué/donné à bail leasehold prydles
la douve moat ffos douvez; tuv
le cambriolage burglary lladrad laerezh en tiez
pratique handy (object) hwylus; hylaw boazmant; pleustr

Les mots de la semaine

By Simon
français English Cymraeg Brezhoneg
le bassin pond (small) pwll poull
l’étang (m) pond (larger) llyn stank; lenn; loc’h
la mare aux canards; la canardière duck pond pwll hwyaden poull houad
le nymphéa
le nénuphar		 water lily lili’r dwr; alaw loar-zour; skudell-zour
la grotte
la caverne		 cave ogof mougev; megin; kavarn
la peinture rupestre cave painting paentiad mewn ogof liverezh-reier
l’homme des cavernes
le troglodyte		 cave dweller preswylydd ogof tud ar mougevioù
la periode glaciaire the Ice Age Oes yr Iâ; Oes y Rhew marevezh ar Skorn-bras
le guerrier warrior gwron; rhyfelwr; milwr brezeler
enchanté; ravi delighted balch; llawen; wrth dy fodd plijet bras
en service on duty ar ddyletswydd; ar wasanaeth; ar alwad o vont
le grimace
le froncement de sourcils		 frown gwg; cuwch; cilwg ard; grim
froncer les sourcils to frown gwgu; cuchio; crychu talcen; cilygu ardaouiñ
le sous-traitant sub-contractor isgontractwr; isgytundebwr eilkevratour
sous-traiter to subcontract isgontractio; isgytundebu eilkevratiñ; eil tretañ; eil feuriañ

Les mots de la semaine

By Simon
français English Cymraeg Brezhoneg
coquin; fripon; polisson; vaurien rascal; scamp dyn drwg; cnaf; cenau; dihiryn lañfre; lachefre
petit chenapan! little rascal! y gwalch bach! y mawrddrwg! yr ellyll bach!
déchiffrer; décrypter decipher datrys; dehongli disifrañ
toutes les deux semaines every other week bob yn ail wythnos
un(e) … sur deux every other … bob yn ail …
la date/heure limite; le délai deadline dyddiad cau; adeg cau; pen set deiziad/eurioù diwezhañ; termen
le numéro d’immatriculation registration number rhif cofrestru niverenn-varilh
la plaque d’immatriculation number plate plât rhif plakenn-varilh
piloter (un avion) to fly (a plane) hedfan (awyren) pilotañ
voler to fly (planes, birds) hedfan nijal
aller en avion to fly (by plane) hedfan mont da karr-nij (?)
le tableau de bord dashboard borden flaen; panel deialau
la cachette hideout cuddfan; cuddfa kuzhiadell; kuzh; toull-kuzh

Les mots de la semaine

By Simon
français English Cymraeg Brezhoneg
le tonnerre et la foudre thunder and lightning mellt a tharanau kurun e luc’hed
l’éclair (m) a flash of lightning mellten; llucheden luc’hed, foeltr
l’éclair en zigzag forked lightening mellt fforchog
l’éclair en nappe(s) sheet lightening dreugiau
être foudroyé to be struck by lightning wedi ei daro gan mellt
le paratonnerre lightning conductor rhoden fellt/luched diskuruner; par(a)gurun
la cannaberge cranberry llugaeronen; cryglusen
le projet plan (intention) bwriad raktres
la maison jumelée semi-detached house ty pâr
le fer à cheval horseshoe pedol (y march) houarn-marc’h
le serment oath (formal promise) llw le
la brouette wheelbarrow berfa; whilber chirigot
entraînant catchy cofiadwy; bachog joudoul