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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 |
| pabell nf pebyll pl | tent , grove | Babell SJ1573 Cilybebyll SN7404 |
| pair nm | cauldron | Bryniau Pair SH8562 Nant-y-pair SN3422 |
| pâl nm | palisaded enclosure | Penrhiwpâl SN3445 Pen-pâl SN5418 |
| palmant nm | paved way | Penpalmant SJ0668 Pen-y-Palmant SJ0475 |
| pandy nm | fulling-mill | Pandy SJ1935 Tonypandy SS9992 |
| pant nm | hollow , valley | Pant-glas SH4747 Cwmsychbant SN4746 |
| panwaun nf panweunydd pl | bog where cotton-grass grows | Panwaun Pen-y-coetgae SN9000 Panwaun Pwll-gwellt SO0401 |
| parc nm parciau , parcau pl | park , field , enclosure | Penparcau SN5880 Cwm-parc SS9596 |
| pedwar num pedair f | four | Pedair Onnen SS9778 Pedair-ffordd SJ1124 |
| pelan nf | knoll , hillock , tump;river bank , sea wall | Pen-y-belan SJ1204 Belan SJ2004 |
| pella(f) adj | farthest | Taipellaf SH9456 Ty Pellaf SH1121 |
| pen nm pennau pl | head , top; end , edge | Pen-y-bont-fawr SJ0824 Penfro SM9801 |
| penrhyn nm | promontory | Penrhyndeudraeth SH6139 Penrhyn-side SH8181 |
| pentre(f) nm | homestead , village | Pentre-bach SN5547 Pentregwenlais SN6016 |
| perfedd nm | middle , midst | Treberfedd SJ3012 Banc Cefnperfedd SO0984 |
| perllan nf | orchard | Berllan SN1239 Berllandawel SN1727 |
| perth nf perthi pl | bush , brake , hedge | Arberth SN1014 Berth-ddu SO0185 |
| ph- | A word starting ph may be a mutated form of a word starting p | |
| pi nf piod pl | magpie | Pentre-piod SH8930 Llwyn-y-piod SN5103 |
| pia nm | magpie | Llwynypia SS9993 Castell y Pia ST1190 |
| pica adj | pointed , sharp | Bryniau Pica SN8066 Llan-pica SO2250 |
| pig nf | point | Pig y Baw SN0140 Nant-y-big SH3025 |
| pigyn nm | point | Pigyn Esgob SH7651 Pigyn Shon-Nicholas SN6635 |
| pistyll nm | spout , waterfall | Pistyll SH3242 Tan-y-pistyll SJ0729 |
| plas nm | hall , mansion | Plas Einion SJ1354 Plas-criafol SJ1131 |
| plwm nm | lead | Nant Felin-blwm SJ1380 Gwaun Ynys-plwm ST0383 |
| plwyf nm | parish | Blaen-plwyf SN5775 Blaen Plwyf Ystrad SN5753 |
| poeth adj | hot , burnt | Cwmfelin-boeth SN1919 Coed-poeth SJ2851 |
| ponc nf ponciau pl | hillock , tump | Pen-y-bonc SH2181 Bonc SJ1637 |
| poncyn , poncen nm, nf | small hillock | Ponciau SJ2946 Clawdd Poncen SJ0744 |
| pont nf | bridge | Pen-y-bont ar Ogwr SN1745 Bontnewydd SH4859 |
| porchell , parchell nm perchyll pl | young pig | Penporchell SH9967 Coed Wernporchell SH6371 |
| porth nm | gate , gateway | Porth-y-rhyd SN5215 Porth-yr-aur SH4762 |
| porth nf | harbour , bay , landing-place , ferry | Porthaethwy SH5572 Porthmadog SH5638 |
| pren nm | tree | Prenteg SH5841 Coed-saithpren SN5223 |
| prys(g) nm | copse , brushwood | Prys-mawr SH8630 Penprysg SS9682 |
| pum(p) num | five | Llanpumsaint SN4129 Pumryd SH8719 |
| 'r (see y) | ||
| pwlI nm pyllau pl | pit , pool | Llanfair Pwllgwyngyll SH5371 Glasbwll SN7397 |
| r- | A word starting r may be a mutated form of a word starting rh | |
| rhaeadr nf | waterfall | Rhaeadr SN9768 Llanrhaeadr-yng-Nghinmeirch SJ0863 |
| rhandir nm | region , district , measure of land | Rhandir-mwyn SN7843 Rhandir SH8371 |
| rhedyn(n)og nf | fern-brake | Glynrhedynog SS9997 Rhedynog Bellaf SH4138 |
| rhedynen nf rhedyn pl | fern | Rhedyn-coch SH4166 Brynrhedyn SH9764 |
| rhestr nf | row , series | Rhestr Cerrig SN8078 Blaen Rhestr SN8469 |
| rhingyll nm | herald , beadle | Castell-y-rhingyll SN5714 Ffynnon Ringyll ST1089 |
| rhiw nf/m | hill , slope | Rhiwlas SH5765 Troed-y-rhiw SO0702 |
| rhod nf | wheel , orbit | Rhod Isaf SM7023 Rhodmad SN5974 |
| rhos nf rhosydd pl | moor , promontory | Rhosgadfan SH5057 Rhosnesi SJ3450 |
| rhudd adj | red , crimson | Rhuddallt SH6718 Rhuddlan SJ0278 |
| rhyd nf/m | ford | Rhydlydan SH8950 Pont-rhyd-y-fen SS7994 |
| saer nm seiri pl | craftsman | Bryn Saer SJ2769 Glyn Saer SN8442 |
| saeth nf saethau pl | arrow | Rhiwsaeth SJ0722 Bwlchysaethau SH6154 |
| Sais nm Saeson pl | Englishman | Pant-y-Sais SS7194 Cae'r Sais SH2677 |
| sant , san nm saint pl | saint; monk | Pumsaint SN6540 Llantrisant ST0483 |
| sarff nf | serpent | Sarffle SJ1433 Ffynnon Sarff SH2931 |
| sarn nf sarnau pl | causeway | Tal-y-sarn SH4853 Sarnau SN3150 |
| serth adj | steep | Bryn Serth SO1410 Maen-serth SN9469 |
| siambr nf | chamber | Siambr-wen SJ0723 Siambr-gerrig SJ1933 |
| sigl , siglen nf | quagmire | Bwlch Siglen SH8313 Siglen SH7464 |
| simnai , simdde nf | chimney | Porth Simdde SH1626 Cerrig Simdde SH7940 |
| stent nm/f | extent (land) | Tir Stent SH7516 Cil Stent SH7960 |
| sticil , sticill nf | stile | Pontsticill SO0511 Garn Pontsticill SO0511 |
| stryd , stryt nf | way , street | Stryd SH2482 Stryt-cae-rhedyn SJ2660 |
| swch nf | ploughshare , triangular piece of land | Swch-cae-rhiw SJ1335 Swch y Llan SH9348 |
| swllt nm | shilling | Crug y Swllt SN1712 Garn-swllt SN6209 |
| swydd nf | seat , lordship , office | Swyddffynnon SN6966 Rhos-swydd SO1264 |
| sych adj | dry | Cwmsychbant SN4746 Sycharth SJ2025 |