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describe a place or their response to their environment. This is a glossary of the elements, generic and qualifying, most frequently found in the place names of Wales. A more complete background to Welsh in place names, pronunciation and spelling can be found accompanying Introduction to Welsh origins of place names in Britain .
Each element is cited in its radical form, any common dialectal variant, its feminine form (in the case of an adjective), its plural (if found in place-names) and its gender.
The meaning given is that which occurs in place names. Some elements occur only in place names and others are prefixes, suffixes or particles that modify or qualify place names.
Two place names (with grid references) are cited as examples for each element.
Abbreviations
| adj | = | adjective | nf | = | noun feminine | |
| adv | = | adverb | nm | = | noun masculine | |
| f | = | feminine | np | = | noun plural | |
| m | = | masculine | pr | = | preposition | |
| pl | = | plural | num | = | number |
A to B | C | D to F | G to I | L to O | P to S | T to Y
| Element | Meaning | Examples |
| abad nm | abbot | Tirabad SO8741 Hafod-yr-Abad SJ1848 |
| aber nm/f | estuary , confluence , stream | Aberystwyth SN5881 Llanaber SH6017 |
| acer nf aceri , acrau pl | acre | Ddwy-acer SJ0364 Ty'n-yr-acrau SH5833 |
| aderyn nm adar pl | bird | Brynyradar ST1675 Craig yr Aderyn SH6406 |
| adwy nf | gap , pass | Craig-adwy-wynt SJ1253 Nant Adwy'r-llan SH8546 |
| ael nf | brow , edge | Ael-y-coryn SJ1633 Aelybryn SN5872 |
| aelwyd nf | hearth | Aelwyd-uchaf SJ0974 Aelwyd Brys SH9250 |
| afallen nf | apple-tree | Afallenchwerw SN9854 Dolafallen SN9566 |
| afon nf | river | Afon-wen SJ1371 Glanrafon SN6790 |
| allt , gallt nf elltydd , alltau pl | hillside , cliff , wood | Allt-mawr SO0746 Alltwalis SN4431 |
| am pr | near , beside , around | Amlwch SH4493 Henllan Amgoed SN1820 |
| amlwg adj | evident , visible , prominent | Brynamlwg SN2214 Grwnamlwg SJ1515 |
| angell nf | offshoot , tributary , leg , wing , limb | Aberangell SH8410 Afon Angell SH8111 |
| anner , annair nf | heifer | Cwm Penanner SH9146 Dolpenanner SH9168 |
| ar pr | on , upon , over | Hendy-gwyn ar Daf SN2016 Pen-y-bont ar Ogwr SN1745 |
| ardd, ard nm | hill , height | Talardd SN4941 Pennard SS5688 |
| argae nm argaeau pl | dam, mill-dam , embankment | Rhydargaeau SN4326 Penyrargae SH3284 |
| arglwydd nm -es n f | lord , lady | Waunarlwydd SS6095 Caer-arglwyddes SN6991 |
| argoed nf | wood , grove | Argoed ST1799 Twyn-yr-argoed SO4207 |
| arian nm | silver | Carn yr arian SN9412 Fedw-arian SH9136 |
| arth nm/f | bear | Aber-arth SN4763 Afon Arth SN4862 |
| asgwrn nm esgyrn pl | bone | Mynydd yr Esgyrn SJ0818 Esgyrn SM9634 |
| athro nm | teacher , father confessor | Caeathro SH5061 Pant Yr Athro SN3613 |
| aur nm | gold | Bron-yr-aur SH7302 Llannerch-yr-aur SN8697 |
| awel nf awelon pl | breeze | Morawel SN0843 Awelfryn SN4223 |
| b- | A word starting b may be a mutated form of a word starting p | |
| bach adj | small , little | Dre-fach SN5045 Cwm-bach Llechryd SO0254 |
| bach nf bachau pl | nook , corner , bend in a river | Bachau SH4383 Eglwys-bach SH8070 |
| bachell nf bachell , bachellau pl | corner , nook , angle | Fachell SH9978 Fachell SH5466 |
| bala nm | narrow land between two lakes , outlet of a lake | Bala SH9236 Brynbala SN5986 |
| ban nf bannau pl | peak , beacon | Pen y Bannau SN7466 Rhydybannau SN5251 |
| banc nm | bank , hill , slope | Bancyfelin SN3218 Pen-y-banc SN4037 |
| bangor nf | (ecclesiastical) settlement enclosed within a wattled fence | Bangor SH5771 Bangor Teifi SN3840 |
| banhadlen nf banadl, banal pl | broom | Cefn-banadl SN6462 Bronbanadl SN6469 |
| banhadlog nf | broom patch | Maesbanadlog SN7067 Banhadlog SN9780 |
| bannog adj | high , horned , turreted | Bron-Bannog SJ0352 Cefnbannog SJ0251 |
| banw nm | young pig | Blaen Cwm Banw SO0722 Nant-y-banw ST4097 |
| bar nm | top , summit | Crug-y-bar SN6537 Bryn-y-bar SH2875 |
| barcud nm | kite , buzzard | Carreg y Barcud SM7724 Llwyn-y-barcud SN4109 |
| bardd nm beirdd pl | bard | Llofft-y-bardd SN8953 Cwrtbrynbeirdd SN6618 |
| bargod nm | boundary (eaves) | Bargoed ST1499 Bargod Taf ST1098 |
| batin , bating (see betin etc.) | ||
| baw nm | dirt | Pig y Baw SN0140 Bryn y Baw SJ1678 |
| bedd nm beddau pl | grave | Beddgelert SH5948 Beddau ST0685 |
| bedwen nf bedw pl | birch | Craigyfedwen SH7576 Berthyfedwen SN3441 |
| bedwlwyn nm | birch grove | Bedwlwyn SJ2236 Bedwlwyncoch SN8823 |
| beidr nf | lane , path | Penfeidr SN1750 Penyfeidr SM8726 |
| beili nm beiliau pl | bailey | Beili SN3827 Beili-glas SO3010 |
| bela , bele nm | marten , wild beast | Trebela ST4298 Clunbele SN3433 |
| bendigaid adj | blessed | Llanfendigaid SH5605 Pontrhydfendigaid SN7366 |
| berw nm | rush of water | Berw-ddu SN9602 Berw-uchaf SH4671 |
| betin , beting , bietin , bieting nm | pared and burnt land | Cefn-betingau SN6601 Batingau SJ0658 |
| betws nm | chapel | Betws Bledrws SN5952 Betws-y-coed SH7956 |
| beudy nm | cow-house | Beudiau SN5549 Beudy-mawr SH3133 |
| bid nm | quickset hedge | Carreg Fidwen SH6481 Twyn y Fidffawydd SO1102 |
| blaen nm blaenau pl | source of river or stream; highland | Blaenau Ffestiniog SH7045 Blaengarw SS9092 |
| blaidd nm | wolf | Cae'r-blaidd SN5133 Castell-y-blaidd SO1279 |
| bod nm/f | abode , dwelling | Bodedern SH3380 Meifod SJ1512 |
| bol , bola nm | belly , swelling | Rhos-y-bol SH4288 Cors-y-bol SH3784 |
| bon nm | stock , stump , base | Bon-y-maen SS6895 Bon-yr-on SJ0646 |
| boncen , boncyn (see poncyn , poncen ) | ||
| braenar , branar nm brynar n f | fallow land | Mynydd Branar SH8771 Braenarauduon SN7246 |
| braich nm/f | ridge , arm | Pen-y-braich SJ0316 Braich Anelog SH1427 |
| brân nf brain pl | crow | Cwm-brân ST2995 Llanfihangel Nant Brân SN9434 |
| bras adj breision pl | big , fat , rich | Bryn-bras SH8543 Maen Bras SH9239 |
| bre nf | hill | Pen-bre SN4201 Moelfre SH5186 |
| brenin nm | king | Rhodiad-y-brenin SM7627 Plas y Brenin SH7157 |
| brest nf | hill-breast | Brest Cwm-Llwyd SN7019 Brestbaily SN9838 |
| brith adj braith f | speckled; coarse | Brithdir SH7719 Pontllan-fraith ST1896 |
| briw nm (adj) | broken , shattered | Briwnant SH8402 Carn Briw SN0537 |
| bro nf | region; vale , lowland | Llanbedr-y-fro ST0876 Rhyd-y-fro SN7105 |
| bron nf bronnydd pl | hill-breast (breast) | Bronydd SO2245 Brongest SN3245 |
| brwynen nf brwyn pl | rush | Brwynen SJ0321 Cwmbrwyn SN2512 |
| brwynog nf | place of rushes , marsh | Brwynog SH7564 Brwynog SH3586 |
| brych adj brech f | speckled | Brechfa SN5230 Llanfrechfa ST3193 |
| bryn nm bryniau pl | hill | Bryn-berian SN1035 Llanbryn-mair SH8902 |
| bryncyn nm | hillock | Bryncyn-felen SJ2019 Bryncyn-hydfa SH3847 |
| buarth nm buarthau pl | farm-yard; pen | Buarth Berran SH5764 Buarth y Caerau SO0713 |
| buches nf | milking-fold (herd) | Buches y Foelortho SJ0421 Fuches SN8489 |
| budr adj | dirty , mucky | Nant Budr SH7435 Rhyd-fudr SN6567 |
| bugail nm bugelydd , bugeiliaid pl | shepherd | Bugeildy SO1979 Tafarn-y-Bugail SN2546 |
| bustach nm bustych pl | bullock | Nant y Bustach SN8153 Cwm Bustach SH8502 |
| buwch nf buchod; (gwartheg) pl | cow; cattle | Cas-fuwch SN0229 Cwm y Fuwch SS9490 |
| bwbach nm | bogey , goblin | Allt y Bwbach SN4528 Bryn Bwbach SH6236 |
| bwch nm | buck | Castell-y-bwch ST2792 Craig-y-bwch SH6414 |
| bwla nm | bull | Nantybwla SN3821 Alltybwla SN2642 |
| bwlch nm bylchau pl | gap , pass | Bwlch-y-groes SN2436 Tan-y-bwlch SH6540 |
| bwrdd nm | table | Bwrdd Arthur SH9667 Bwrdd y Rhyfel SJ1475 |
| bychan adj bechan f bychain pl | little , tiny | Morfa Bychan SH5437 Llanfairfechan SH6874 |
| byr adj ber f | short | Byrgoed SH9837 Byrgwm SO2303 |