'Iechyd da!' Ten new Welsh words added to Oxford English Dictionary

The Oxford English Dictionary has announced 10 new Welsh words will be added to the dictionary. Credit: PA Images

Ten new Welsh words are being added to the Oxford English Dictionary, it has been announced.

Words which have been used for a "reasonable amount of time" across a variety of different sources qualify for consideration to be included in the dictionary.

The OED already features a handful of Welsh words, like 'cwtch', which are used by people across the UK everyday.

The Welsh language can be heard in "the everyday speech of people in Wales... evident in the many words and phrases that English has borrowed from it," the dictionary added.

The new Welsh words you'll find in the Oxford English Dictionary are:

  • Calennig - In Welsh, "calan" means New Year's Day, or first day of the month, and when combined with the Welsh diminutive or belonging suffix "ig" it forms "calennig", which can mean both the gift or the tradition of children giving New Year's gifts. "On the morning of New Year’s Day, children go from door-to-door requesting food, money, or other gifts—and unsurprisingly for Wales, the land of song, these requests are traditionally sung," the dictionary said. "Children taking part in this custom typically carry an apple or orange pierced with sticks and decorated with sprigs of herbs or foliage, as well as cloves, nuts, or raisins, so that calennig can also sometimes be used to indicate the decorated apple or orange itself."

  • Iechyd da - an exclamation used as a toast or salutation before drinking

  • Ych a fi - expressing disgust or disdain

  • Twp - an adjective used to describe someone or something stupid or idiotic

  • Senedd - the name of the Welsh Parliament

  • Cawl - a traditional Welsh soup typically made with lamb or beef, and vegetables

  • Sglods - used to describe chips of French fries

  • Mamgu/Tadcu - Welsh terms for a grandmother or grandfather in south Wales

  • Taid - A term for a grandfather in north Wales. Its female counterpart, "nain" was already added to the dictionary in an earlier update.

Linguists call this "borrowing", where a word or set of words from one language becomes adopted in another.

The English language has borrowed plenty of words from the Welsh language over hundreds of years.

Etymologists, who study the origin of language, say words including "crumpet", "corgi" and "flannel" may have been borrowed from Welsh.

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