I came across the word clustfeinio yesterday while reading a novel in Welsh. At first I wasn’t quite sure what it meant, apart from having something to do with ears, clustiau. From the context though I was able to guess its meaning:
Wy’n clustfeinio am bob gwich a sgrech.
I’m [verbing] to every squeak and shriek.
From its position in the sentence, you can tell that clustfeinio is a verb. Can you guess what it means? The character who says this sentence is lying in bed trying to get to sleep.
Related words include:
clust – ear
clustdlws – ear-ring (lit. “ear brooch/jewel”)
clusten – (ear) lobe
clustew / clustrwm – hard of hearing (lit. “fat ear” / “heavy ear”)
clustfyddar – deaf
clustiog – eared
clustog – pillow, cushion
clustowlad – buffer-state (lit. “pillow state”)
It begs the question then; what other verbs (or any other words for that matter) contain -feinio?
I think I know what it means: gb rnirfqebc (ROT13).
Interesting – in Gaelic we say ‘cluas’ for ear!
clustfeinio means to listen attentively, to eavesdrop, hearken or monitor. feinio means to grow/make/become slender and comes from main, which means delicate or fine. It’s also used in blaenfain and pigfain, which both mean pointed or tappering; and in dadfeinio to reverberate.
Clustan / clusten also means a wallop accross the ear.
“Bonclust” also has the same meaning.