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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 |
| tafarn nm/f tafarnau pl | tavern | Pentre Tafarn-y-fedw SH8162 Tafarnygelyn SJ1861 |
| tafol np | dock plants | Tafolgraig SN6597 Tafolwern SH8902 |
| tafolog nf | place where dock grows | Blaen-Tafolog SH8909 Tafolog SH8909 |
| tail nm | dung , manure | Bryn Tail ST0989 Bryntail SN9187 |
| tâl nm | end , top | Tal-y-bont SN6589 Talacre SJ1284 |
| talar nf | headland (of field) | Troedrhiwdalar SN9553 Dalarwen SN7850 |
| talch nm | fragment , pounded grain | Cefnbryntalch SO1796 Bryntalch SO1795 |
| talwrn nm talyrni , tylyrni pl | bare exposed hill-side , open space , threshing floor , cockpit | Talwrn SH4977 Talwrn SJ2947 |
| tan, dan pr | under , beneath | Tan-y-fron SH9564 Tan-y-bwlch SH6540 |
| tarren nf tarreni pl | rocky tump | Nant Tarren-fedw-ddu SN7893 Tarren Bwlch-gwyn SN8193 |
| tarw nm teirw pl | bull | Crugtarw SN3734 Mynydd Tarw SJ1132 |
| tas nf | stack , rick | Pen Tas-eithin SN5743 Y Das SO1932 |
| teg adj | fair | Maes-teg SS8591 Llan-teg SN1810 |
| telyn nf | harp | Rhyd-y-delyn Fawr SH5275 Caedelyn SN5806 |
| tew adj | thick , fat | Cors Tewgyll SN1331 Llwyntew SN9428 |
| th- | A word starting th may be a mutated form of a word starting t | |
| tir nm | land , territory | Tirabad SO8741 Brithdir SH7719 |
| tlawd adj tlodion pl | pauper , poor | Tyddyn-tlodion SJ1753 Cae Tlodion SH5925 |
| tom , tomen nf | pile , muck-heap , mound , hillock | Domgae SJ2719 Tomen y Meirw SJ1638 |
| ton , tonnen nf/m tonnau pl | grassland (left unplowed) , lea | Ton-teg ST0986 Tonypandy SS9992 |
| top nm | top | Top-rhiw-fawr SJ1117 Top-y-fron SJ2769 |
| tor nm | break , gap | Tor Glas SO0319 Torbant SM8430 |
| torglwyd nf | door-hurdle , gate | Maestorglwyd SO2137 Dorglwyd SN6500 |
| traeth nm | beach , strand , shore | Malltraeth SH4068 Trefdraeth SN0539 |
| trallwng , trallwm nm | wet low-lying land | Y Trallwng SJ2207 Trallwng SN9629 |
| traws adj & nm | cross, transverse | Trawsgoed SN6773 Trawsfynydd SH7035 |
| tref nf | settlement , hamlet , town | Tre-garth SH6067 Trefalun SJ3856 |
| tri num tair f | three | Tri Chrugiau SN9343 Llantrisant ST0483 |
| trindod nf | trinity | Llandrindod SO0561 Ffynnon-y-drindod SS9373 |
| troed nm/f | base , bottom , (foot) | Allt Troed-y-rhiw SN5235 Troed-rhiw-cymmer SN7648 |
| tros pr | over | Trosnant SO0425 Tros-y-waen SH5666 |
| trum nm trumiau pl | ridge | Trum Gelli SH6501 Cefngeudrum SN7727 |
| trwyn nm | point , cape , (nose) | Trwyn Bendro SM6923 Trwynhwrddyn SM7327 |
| twlch nm tylchau pl | tump , knoll | Cefn-twlch SJ1000 Dôl y Twlch SN8074 |
| twll nm tyllau pl | hole , pit | Twll-y-clawdd SH5073 Ty'n-Twll SJ1055 |
| twmpath nm | tump , hillock | Waun Twmpath SN4602 Twmpath SO0743 |
| tŵr nm | tower | Tre-tŵr SO1821 Twr SH2282 |
| twrch nm tyrchod pl | boar | Twrch Fechan SN7819 Blaen-Twrch SN6849 |
| twyn nm twyni pl | hillock , knoll | Twynrodyn SO0505 Pen-twyn ST5209 |
| tŷ nm tai pl | house | Tŷ-croes SH3472 Pentre Tŷ-gwyn SN8135 |
| tyddyn , ty'n , tyn nm | small farm , holding | Tyn-y-groes SH7771 Ty'n-y-ffridd SJ1130 |
| tyle nm/f | hill , ascent | Maestyle SN5939 Mynydd Tyle-coch SS9396 |
| tylluan nf | owl | Rhosdylluan SH8529 Cwmdylluan SN9588 |
| tyno nm | plain , meadow | Tynohir SN7098 Gwern Tyno SH8477 |
| tywarchen nf tyweirch, tywyrch pl | sod , turf | Llyn-y-dywarchen SH5653 Penrhiwtywarch SN7144 |
| tywyll adj | dark , gloomy | Tywyllnodwydd SH7102 Cildywyll SN2212 |
| tywyn nm | sandy-shore , sand-dune | Tywyn SH7878 Llanfihangel-yn-nhywyn SH3176 |
| uchaf adj | upper , highest | Felin-gwm-uchaf SN5023 Cwm Twrch Uchaf SN7511 |
| uchel adj | high | Bonuchel SJ0857 Gelli-benuchel SN8005 |
| uwch pr | above , over | Llanuwchllyn SH8730 Uwchmynydd SH1525 |
| uwchlaw pr | above | Uwchlaw'r-coed SH6025 Uwchlaw'r-rhos SH4754 |
| wtra nf | lane | Tynwtra SH8505 Tynyrwtra SJ0517 |
| y , yr, 'r (definite article) | the | Y Ferwig SN1849 Bryn-y-maen SH8376 |
| ychen nm ŷch pl | ox | Porthyrychen SH4693 Rhydyrychen SH8648 |
| ymenyn (see menyn) | ||
| ymryson nm | contention , disputed ground | Rhos Ymryson SN4650 Esgair Ymryson SN8876 |
| yn , 'n pr | in | Llansanffraid-yn-Elfael SO0954 Ty'n-y-cefn SJ0443 |
| ynys nf ynysoedd pl | island; holm , river-meadow | Coed-yr-ynys SO1520 Ynys-las SN6092 |
| ysbyty nm | hospital , hospice | Ysbyty Ystwyth SN7371 Ysbyty Ifan SH8448 |
| ysgafell nf | ledge , brow | Ysgafell Wen SH6649 Tanysgafell SH6166 |
| ysgallog nf | full of thistles; place where thistles abound | Pantysgallog SN9028 Dolysgallog SH8510 |
| ysgawen , ysgaw nf | elder-tree | Comin Cwmysgawen SO0371 Tre-Ysgawen SH4581 |
| ysgeifiog nf | place of elder-trees | Ysgeifiog SJ1571 Llanfihangel Ysgeifiog SH4773 |
| ysgol nf ysgolion pl | ladder , formation on mountain-side | Ysgolion Duon SH6663 Craig-yr-ysgol SN9502 |
| ysgol nf ysgolion pl | school | Ysgoldy SH4382 Tai'r-ysgol SS6997 |
| ysgubor nf ysguboriau pl | barn | Tyddyn-ysgubor SJ0040 Ysgubor Bach SH1628 |
| ysguthan nf | wood-pigeon | Bryn Ysguthan SH9311 Nant Ysguthan SH9411 |
| ysgwydd nf | shoulder (of mountain) | Ysgwydd Hwch SO0537 Ysgwydd-gwyn-isaf SO1200 |
| ystafell nf | chamber , hiding-place | Ystafelloedd SM7923 Cwm Nant Ystafell SN7108 |
| ystlys nf | side , flank | Ystlys-y-coed-uchaf SN5707 Ystlys-y-coed-isaf SN5606 |
| ystrad nm | valley , holm , river-meadow | Ystrad Rhondda SS9895 Ystradgynlais SN7810 |
| ystum nf/m | bend | Llanystumdwy SH4738 Ystumtuen SN7378 |
| ywen nf yw pl | yew-tree | Careg-ywen SO0052 Llwynywen SN5363 |