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Place names are made up of components which are referred to as elements. These elements are simply the words people used to 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 |
| d- | A word starting d may be a mutated form of a word starting t | |
| dafad nf defaid pl | sheep | Carreg y Ddafad SN2751 Pantyddafad SN6768 |
| dafadfa nf | sheep-fold | Dafadfa-isaf SN6821 Dafadfa Uchaf SN6921 |
| daIfa nf | pound | Ddalfa SN8931 Cors y Ddalfa SH4147 |
| dan (see tan ) | ||
| dâr nf deri pl | oak | Aberdâr SO0002 Bwlch-y-ddâr SJ1622 |
| das (see tas ) | ||
| dau num dwy f | two | Aberdauddwr SN6954 Bryn-ddwy-nant SO2035 |
| dd- | A word starting dd may be a mutated form of a word starting d | |
| deilen nf dail pl | leaf | Tir-y-dail SN6212 Castell y Dail SO0989 |
| delw nf | image | Carnedd y Ddelw SH7070 Craig y Ddelw SS9298 |
| deon nm | dean | Caerdeon SH6518 Cae'r Deon SH3385 |
| derlwyn nm | oak-grove | Carregyderlwyn SN8070 Cefn Derlwyn SO9347 |
| derwen nf derw pl | oak | Derwen-las SN7299 Derwen-gam SN4558 |
| dibyn nm | steep slope , precipice | Dibyn Du SN7965 Cwm Pont-bren Dibyn SH8800 |
| diffwys nm | precipice , abyss | Diffwys SJ0257 Llechwedd Diffwys SH8915 |
| din nm | hill-fortress | Dinbych SJ0566 Caerfyrddin SN4120 |
| dinas nm/f | hill-fortress; city | Dinas Dinlle SH4356 Pendinas SJ2251 |
| diserth nm | hermitage | Diserth SJ0579 Dyserth SJ0579 |
| disgwylfa nf | place of observation , look-out point | Twyn Disgwylfa SN9531 Disgwylfa SN5009 |
| dôl nf dolau , dolydd pl | meadow | Dolbenmaen SH5043 Dôl-y-bont SN6288 |
| dorglwyd (see torglwyd ) | ||
| draenen nf drain pl | thorn | Draenen Pen-y-graig ST1783 Ffynnon-ddrain SN4021 |
| draenllwyn nm | thorn-bush | Draenllwyn-du SN7051 Esgair Draenllwyn SN9294 |
| draw adj | yonder | Heol-draw SO1820 Pen-draw SH5561 |
| dreiniog adj | thorny | Bryndreiniog SJ0825 Domen Ddreiniog SH5903 |
| drud nm drudion pl | hero , fighter | Cerrigydrudion SH9548 Cerrig Drudion SN6250 |
| drum (see trum ) | ||
| drws nm | gap , narrow pass (door) | Drws Gwyn SH7959 Drws-y-coed SH5453 |
| dryll nm | small piece of land | Y Gelligandryll SO2242 Dryll SJ2646 |
| dryslwyn nm | bramble bush | Dryslwyn SN5520 Dryslwyn SN6242 |
| du adj duon pl | black , dark | Dulais SS6190 Ynys-ddu ST1892 |
| dwfn , dyfn adj dofn f | deep | Dyfnant SO0260 Wernddofn SN2136 |
| dwfr , dŵr nm | water | Erw-ddwfr SH7232 Llwyn-dwfr SN1023 |
| dyffryn nm | valley | Dyffryn SS8593 Llanbedr Dyffryn Ceiriog SJ1459 |
| dylif nm | flood , deluge , torrent | Dylife SN8694 Afon Dylif SH6144 |
| dylluan (see tylluan ) | ||
| -dyn | fortified enclosure | Taltreuddyn SH5825 Nant Creuddyn SN5550 |
| dyrys adj | wild , rough | Cefndyrys SO0473 Fronddyrys SO1559 |
| ebol nm ebolion pl | colt | Crug-ebolion SN2631 Llwynyrebol SN1326 |
| efail (see gefail ) | ||
| efwr nm | cow-parsnip; yew | Cyll Efwr SN3919 Dinefwr SN6122 |
| eglwys nf | church | Yr Eglwys Newydd ST1580 Cwm-yr-eglwys SN0140 |
| eiddew nm | ivy | Moel Eiddew SH8605 Llyn Eiddew-bach SH6434 |
| eira nm | snow | Nant-yr-eira SH6808 Maeneira SH7267 |
| eisingrug nm | heap of bran or corn husks | Eisingrug (Singrug) SH6134 Afon Eisingrug SH6234 |
| eisteddfa nf | seat , resting , place | Eisteddfa SN 799841 Cripiau Eisteddfa-fach SN8084 |
| eisteddfod nf | meeting-place , assembly | Bryn Eisteddfod SH8076 Eisteddfod SJ2452 |
| eithin np | furze | Talcen Eithin SH8343 Tir-eithin SS9781 |
| eithinog nf | furze patch , gorse land | Twyn Eithinog SN8009 Bryn Eithinog SN7866 |
| elor nf | bier | Bwlch-y-ddwy-elor SH5550 Elorgarreg SH9653 |
| eos nf | nightingale | Bryn-yr-Eos SJ2840 Cileos SJ0825 |
| ergyd nm/f | cast; projecting spur of land | Ergyd Isaf SS7988 Ergyd Uchaf SS8088 |
| erw nf erwau pl | acre | Croes-erw SS8795 Erw Barfau SN7578 |
| eryr nm | eagle | Gartheryr SJ1623 Foel Eryr SN0631 |
| esgair nf | long ridge | Esgairgeiliog SO7506 Pant-yr-esgair SN6431 |
| esgob nm | bishop | Plas-yr-Esgob SJ1061 Pigyn Esgob SH7651 |
| esgyrn (see asgwrn) | ||
| ewig nf | hire | Rhyd Yr Ewig SH9343 Gwern-yr-ewig SH9631 |
| f- | A word starting f may be a mutated form of a word starting b or m | |
| -fa (see ma) | ||
| ffald nf ffaldau pl | sheep-fold , pound , pen , run | Bancyn-ffald SM6922 Carn-ffald SM7528 |
| ffarm (see fferm ) | ||
| ffawydden nf ffawydd pl | beech tree | Ffawydden SO2525 Twyn y Fidffawydd SO1102 |
| ffawyddog nf | beech grove | Ffawyddog SS9189 Ffawyddog SO2018 |
| fferm nf | farm | Fferm-y-Capel SN1529 Fferm Felinfach SN5646 |
| ffin nf | boundary | Ffos-y-ffin SN4460 Ffinnant SN9791 |
| fforch nf | bifurcation of streams , fork , shape of fields , etc | Fforch Ceulan SN7520 Cilfforch SN4461 |
| ffordd nf | way , road | Banc-y-ffordd SN4037 Pen-y-ffordd SJ3061 |
| fforest nf | forest , park | Fforest-fach ST6296 Trefforest ST0888 |
| ffridd , ffrith nf ffriddoedd pl | wood; mountain enclosure , sheep walk | Bwlch-y-ffridd SO0695 Ty'n-y-ffridd SJ1130 |
| ffrwd nf | stream , torrent | Gwenffrwd SO5306 Ffrwd-grech SO0227 |
| ffwrnais , ffwrnes nf | furnace | Ffwrnais SN6895 Craig Ffwrnais ST2495 |
| ffynnon nf ffynhonnau pl | spring , well | Gwarffynnon SN5750 Llwynffynnon SN4038 |
| fry pr | above | Neuadd-fry SO1622 Ty-fry ST4397 |