Glossary of Welsh place name elements
Many Welsh place names refer to the landscape. Consequently, understanding the name may give a some insight with regard to the location or surroundings.
This list is not exhaustive. Note that the Welsh words have been sorted in English alphabetical order for the convenience of English language readers. Also, because in Welsh certain initial letters mutate in particular grammatical circumstances, words which occur in their mutated form (or in anglisizations) in place names are included in that form, cross referenced to their un-mutated form.
| aber | n. estuary, confluence |
| afon | n. river |
| allt | n. hillside |
| bach | a. small |
| boeth | see poeth |
| bwlch | n. gap, pass or notch (e.g. between peaks) |
| cae | n. field |
| caled | a. hard |
| cam | a. broken, crooked |
| canol | a. middle |
| capel | n. chapel |
| cefn | n. back, ridge |
| cell | n. (monk’s) cell |
| clawdd | n. ditch, pit, mine |
| coed | n. wood |
| craig | n. rock, crag |
| craf | n. garlic |
| cwm | n. (glaciated) valley c.f. corrie (Scotland) |
| cymerau | n. junctions |
| diffwys | n. steep slope |
| dinas | n. fort |
| dôl | n. meadow |
| drws | n. door |
| du | a. black |
| dyffryn | n. valley (low ground between hills) |
| fach | see bach |
| fawr | see mawr |
| ffridd | n. sheep walk, mountain pasture |
| foel | see moel |
| galed | see caled |
| gam | see cam |
| graig | see craig |
| goleu | n. light |
| gwaith | n. works |
| gwên | a. white |
| gwyn | a. white, holy |
| hafod | n. summer place – the pasture to which animals were driven for seasonal grazing (or sometimes the house built there – see hafoty) |
| hafotty | see hafoty |
| hafoty | n. summer dwelling (house) on the hafod lands |
| helfa | n. hunt |
| hendre(f) | n. winter dwelling – the established or permanent settlement, usually in a lowland location or near the best farmland |
| isa(f) | a. lowest |
| llam | n. leap |
| llan | n. church, parish, village |
| llechwedd | n. slope |
| lleidr | n. robber, thief |
| llety | n. lodging, inn |
| llyn | n. lake |
| mab | n. son, boy |
| maen | n. rock, stone |
| mawr | a. big |
| moel | n. bare hill (top) |
| mynach | n. monk |
| mynydd | n. mountain |
| nant | n. brook, small stream |
| newydd | a. new |
| oleu | see goleu |
| pen | n. head, end |
| perygl | n. danger |
| plwm | n. lead (the metal) |
| poeth | a. hot |
| pystyll | n. waterfall |
| penarth | n. promontory |
| rhiw | n. hill, slope |
| rhyd | n. ford |
| sarn | n. causeway |
| tyddyn | n. small-holding or small farm, a building or dwelling |
| ty | n. house |
| ucha(f) | a. highest |
| voel | see moel |
| wen | see gwên |
| y, yr, ’r | art. (of) the |