The Welsh words that have been added to the Oxford English Dictionary

A man reading a copy of the Oxford Dictionary of English
-Credit: (Image: Ian Nicholson/PA Wire)


Ten Welsh words have been added to the latest edition of the Oxford English Dictionary, it has been announced. The OED is updated quarterly with new words, senses and revisions to entries, to reflect changes in word usage and to include new terms relating to current events and trends.

The September 2024 update, announced on Thursday, has included a number of Welsh words, saying: "This quarter, our lexical journey across the English-speaking world begins in Wales, one of the four countries of the United Kingdom. A cornerstone of Welsh identity and culture is the Welsh language, and the deep-rooted influence of this Celtic language on the everyday speech of people in Wales is evident in the many words and phrases that English has borrowed from it."

The OED began as a crowdsourcing project in the late 1800s, when a call went out to send in words and meanings. Seventy years later, in 1928, the first version was completed with 414,825 entries.

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Here are the Welsh words that have been included in the September 2024 update:

Calennig - the OED says it is the oldest word to be included as it dates back to the 18th century. The entry says: "A noun first attested in 1749, combines the Welsh word calan, meaning New Year’s Day, or first day of the month, with –ig, a Welsh diminutive suffix or a suffix expressing belonging. Calan itself comes from the post-classical Latin word *calandae, a variant of the classical Latin calendae, which is also the origin of the English word calendar." Adding "Calennig can simply mean a New Year’s gift, but it can also refer to a Welsh New Year’s custom. 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. 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 - they say: "earliest seen in English in 1907, an exclamation used as a toast or salutation before drinking".

Ych a fi - They say it first appeared in 1860 and describe it as "an interjection expressing disgust or disdain".

Twp - Described as "an adjective used to describe someone or something stupid or idiotic".

Senedd - Saying: "The name of the Welsh Parliament, the devolved, unicameral legislative assembly of Wales, and also of the building in Cardiff in which the Parliament meets"

Cawl - "A traditional Welsh soup typically made with lamb or beef, and vegetables such as leeks, potatoes, swedes, and carrots.

Sglods - "The Welsh English word for chips or French fries."

Mamgu, Tadcu and Taid - "Terms of address for one’s grandparents. Grandmothers in South Wales are called mamgu (1831), while grandfathers are called tadcu (1876). In North Wales, grandfathers are addressed as taid (1887)—its female counterpart, nain (1887) was was added to the OED in an earlier update.."

The September update also contains a constellation of shiny new words – or, more accurately, constellations, plural, as work by the dictionary's science team has introduced the names of various starry gatherings including Canis and Corvus.

Other new additions at cheap adj. include cheap date, cheap thrill and cheap thrill. There is also sheisty, Blue Monday and mic drop!