Welsh

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Etymology

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From Old Welsh Litau, from Proto-Brythonic *llɨdaw, from Proto-Celtic *ɸlitawī (continent, country), related to *ɸlitanos (broad) (whence llydan). Cognate with Avestan 𐬞𐬆𐬭𐬆𐬚𐬡𐬍 (pərəθβī) and Sanskrit पृथ्वी (pṛthvī).

The semantic shift is “continent” → “mainland Europe” → “areas in mainland Europe where Britons live” → “Brittany”.

Pronunciation

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Proper noun

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Llydaw f

  1. Brittany (an administrative region, historical province, and peninsula in northwest France)
    Mae Llydaw yn Ffrainc.
    Brittany is in France.

Mutation

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Welsh mutation
radical soft nasal aspirate
Llydaw Lydaw unchanged unchanged
Note: Some of these forms may be hypothetical. Not every possible mutated form of every word actually occurs.