Words for colours in Welsh with notes and colour-related expressions.
The word for colour in Welsh is lliw [ɬiu] (pl: lliwiau), which also means hue, tine; (colour of) complexion or skin, countenance, colouring; state, appearance, form, character; lustre, shade (of meaning); pigment, paint, make-up, cosmetic; dye.
Related words include:
du [dɨ̞ː/dɪː] - black, sable, dark
Etymology: from the Proto-Brythonic *duβ (black), from Proto-Celtic *dubus (black), from Proto-Indo-European *dʰewbʰ- (black).
gwyn [gwɨ̞n/gwɪn] - white, greyish white, pale; light, shining, bright; brilliant, white-hot; silver (of money); amber-coloured (of wine)
Note: gwyn is used with masculine nouns. The feminine form is gwen, and the plural is gwynion.
Etymology: from the Proto-Brythonic *gwɨnn (white), from Proto-Celtic *windos (white), from Proto-Indo-European *ḱweytos (bright; shine).
coch [kɔːχ] - red, ruddy, scarlet, bloody; ginger (hair); brown
Note: coch is used with singular nouns. The plural form is cochion.
Etymology: possibly from the Latin coccinus (scarlet)
rhudd [r̥ɨːð/r̥iːð] - red, ruddy, purplish, bay, tawny, brown; bloody; scorched
Etymology: from the Proto-Celtic *rowdos (red), from Proto-Indo-European *h₁rewdʰ- (red)
melyn [ˈmɛlɨ̞n/ˈmɛlɪn/ˈmeːlɪn] - yellow, golden, yellow-haired, blond; light-bay (horse); sallow, livid, brown (skin, sugar)
Etymology: from the Middle Welsh melyn, from Proto-Celtic *melinos, from *meli (honey), from Proto-Indo-European *mélid (honey)
glas [ɡlɑːs] - blue, azure, sky-blue, greenish blue, sea-green
Etymology: from the Proto-Brythonic *glas (green, blue), from Proto-Celtic *glastos (green, blue), probably from Proto-Indo-European *ǵʰl̥h₃stós, from *ǵʰelh₃- (“green, yellow”).
gwyrdd [ɡwɨ̞rð/ɡwɪrð] - green, verdant, bluish green, pale (blue), grey; fresh, lively; grassy
Note: gwyrddd is used with masculine nouns. The feminine form is gwerdd, and the plural is gwyrddion.
Etymology: from the Latin viridis (green).
brown [brɔu̯n] - brown
Etymology: from the English brown
gwinau [gwɨ̞naɨ/gwɪ̞nai] - bay, reddish brown, auburn, chestnut, dark red, olive, swarthy, dark
Etymology: from gwin (wine), from the Proto-Brythonic *gwin (wine), from late Proto-Celtic *wīnom (wine), from the Latin vīnum (wine, grapes, grapevine).
pinc [pɪŋk] - pink, carnation, spruce, dapper, neat, trim, smart, fine, pretty
Etymology: from the English pink
oren [ˈɔrɛn] - orange
Etymology: from the English orange
llwydd [ˈɬʊɨ̯d/ˈɬʊi̯d] - grey, faint; pale, pallied, wan; russet, brown; turbid, muddy (water)
Etymology: from the Proto-Brythonic *luïd, from Proto-Celtic *ɸlētos, from Proto-Indo-European *pel- (gray).
porffor [ˈpɔrfɔr] - purple, puce, violet, red, crimson, scarlet
Etymology: from the Latin purpura (purple)
piws [pɪu̯s] - puce, (reddish) purple
Etymology: from the English puce (purple), from the French couleur puce (flea-colored), from the Latin pūlex (flea).
arian [arjan] - silver, silvery, money
Etymology: from the Middle Welsh ariant, from Old Welsh argant, from Proto-Brythonic *arɣant, from Proto-Celtic *arganto(m) (silver), from Proto-Indo-European *h₂erg- (to shine).
aur [aɨ̯r; ai̯r] - gold, gold money, wealth
Etymology: from the Latin aureus (golden)
Sources of etymologies
http://geiriadur.ac.uk/gpc/gpc.html/
https://geiriaduracademi.org/
https://en.wiktionary.org
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