Today’s word, hysbyseb (pl, hysbysebion), is the Welsh for advertisement or insertion. Related words include, hysbysebu, to advertise or inform, hysbysfwrdd, noticeboard, hysbysiad, announcement, and hysbysrwydd, information, which is also gwybodaeth.

Hysbyseb comes from the hysbys, which means known, and is used in the term for soothsayer, dyn hysbys.

Examples of usage

Dw i wedi gweld hysbyseb am swydd newydd yn y papur heddiw.
I saw an advert for a new job in the paper today.

Gweler ein hysbyseb yn yr atodiad wythnosol.
See our advertisement in the weekly supplement.

amynedd [a’mənɛð] = y gallu i ddioddef, goddefgarwch, dioddefgarwch, dyfalbarhad, pwyll

Examples of usage

Amynedd sant sy genno fo.
He has the patience of a saint.

Bydd rhaid i ni fod dipyn yn amyneddgar.
We’ll have to be a bit patient.

Today’s word is something you need plenty of when learning a language – patience. I came across it in the Welsh novel I’m currently reading, Enoc Huws. Another interesting word that came up today was dyfalbarhad (perserverance), which is something else you need when learning languages. When I started reading this novel, I found it quite heavy going and could only read a page at a time. Now I’m becoming more familiar with the story and the vocabulary, I’m able to read whole chapters fairly easily.

eisteddfod /aɪˈstɛðvəd/ (pl. eisteddfodau), noun – cwrdd cystadleuol, eisteddiad. eisteddfod

Related words
eistedd, verb – gorffwys ar sedd neu gadair, seddu. to sit, to seat
eisteddfa / eisteddle, noun – lle i eistedd, sedd. seat
eisteddfodol, adjective – yn ymweud ag eisteddfod. eisteddfodic, to do with eisteddfodau
eisteddfodwr, noun – un sy’n mynychu eisteddfodau. an eisteddfod-goer

Eisteddfod is one of the few Welsh words that is used in English, at least in the UK. The word is derived from eistedd, to sit/seat. The first eisteddfod was held in 1176 by Rhys ap Gruffydd of Deheubarth at his court in Cardigan (Aberteifi), when he invited poets and musicians from all over Wales to a grand gathering. The best poet and best musician were awarded a chair at the Rhys’ table, a tradition that continues to this day.

The modern eisteddfod, which dates back to the late 19th century, is a folk festival featuring music, poetry, dance, drama and literature. Local, small-scale eisteddfodau are held all over Wales, and there a number of larger eisteddfodau, including the National Eisteddfod of Wales or Eisteddfod Genedlaethol Cymru, which is held once a year alternating between North and South Wales, and the Llangollen International Musical Eisteddfod or Eisteddfod Gerddorol Ryngwladol Llangollen, featuring performers and visitors from all over the world, and held annually in Llangollen.

The 2006 National Eisteddfod is currently going on in Swansea (Abertawe), and you can hear live broadcasts from it on Radio Cymru. For details, see: www.eisteddfod.org.uk

gwlyb /’gulIb/, adjective = wet, dank, sloppy, liquid

gwlyb, ansoddair = gwleb, yn cynnwys hylif, llaith, wedi gwlychu, yn bwrw glaw

This is a lovely Welsh word that looks impossible to pronounce to non-Welsh speakers. It actually sounds something like goo-lib – both w and y are vowels in Welsh.

Related words
gwlypach, comparative – wetter
gwlypa(f), superlative – wettest
gwlybaniaeth, noun – moisture
gwlybwr, noun – liquid
gwlybyrog, adjective – wet, liquid
gwlychu, verb – to wet, soak, drench

Examples of usage:

oedd hi’n gwlyb y bore ma ym Mrighton
– it was wet in Brighton this morning (there was a big storm)

bydd hi’n wlypach o lawer yn y De nag yn y Gogledd
– it will be a lot wetter in the South than in the north

haul, noun = sun (the aul sounds like aisle)

Related words:
heulog = sunny
heulo = to be sunny
heulwen = sunshine
torheulo = to sunbathe
lliw haul = suntan
llosg haul = sunburn
sbectol haul = sunglasses
codiad yr haul = sunrise
machlud = sunset

Examples of usage:
Dw i’n hoffi codi’n gynnar er mwyn gweld yr haul yn codi = I like to get up early to see the sun rising

Mae’r haul yn machlud = the sun is setting

Yn llygad yr haul = in the sunshine (lit. “in the eye of the sun”)

Mae hi’n heulog iawn ac eitha boeth ym Mrighton heddiw = It’s very sunny and quite hot in Brighton today.

Dw i’n mynd allan i mwynhau’r heulwen rŵan. Time to go out any enjoy the sunshine now!

dylunio gwe = web design
dylunio = to design; gwe = web, gauze, texture

Heddiw, o’r diwedd, dw i’n wedi dod o hyd i’r gair Cymraeg am web design, a thermau defnyddiol eraill fel systemau rheoli cynnwys, datblygu gwefanau a mewnrwydi. Rŵan, os oes angen arna i, dw i’n gallu siarad am y pethau hyn.

Today, I finally found the Welsh word for web design, and a number of other useful words such as content management system, website development and intranet. So I can now talk about these things in Welsh if the need every arises.

I find it interesting to see how different languages deal with terminology for new inventions and technology. Some just borrow the words from the original language (often English), some translate the terms, and others coin new words from their existing word stock. For example, computer is 计算机 (jìsuànjī) – “calculating machine” in China and 電腦 (diànnào) – “electric brain” in Taiwan, while in Japan it’s コンピューター (konpyūtā). The Welsh word for computer is cyfrifiadur – “thing that counts/calculates”.

I read somewhere that Iceland they hold a national competition to come up with words for new inventions. Does anybody know if this is true? One such word is tulva (computer), which literally means “number seer” or “fortune teller”.

In the case of Welsh, official terms may exist for most new inventions, but they aren’t necessarily used in everyday speech. Usage of the official terms tends to more common in formal settings. In informal situations, people often use the English terms, or alternative Welsh words they’ve coined. For example, the official term for ‘to send text message’ is anfon neges testun, but many people just say tecstio.

Source of the Welsh terms: www.technoleg-taliesin.com