blaen

Welsh

Etymology

Perhaps ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *gʷelH- (“to throw”).

Pronunciation

• (North Wales) IPA^(key): /blaːɨ̯n/
• (South Wales, standard, colloquial) IPA^(key): /blai̯n/
  • (South Wales, colloquial) IPA^(key): /blaːn/
• Rhymes: -aːɨ̯n

Noun

blaen m (plural blaenau)

1. tip, point, apex
2. front
3. foremost, first, leader
4. (usually in the plural) frontier, march, border; uplands, highlands

Derived terms

• blaeneuwr (“highlander”)
• blaenor (“elder”)
• o flaen (“in front of”)
• o'r blaen (“before, beforehand”)
• ymlaen (“forward, ahead, on”)

 

Adjective

blaen (feminine singular blaen, plural blaen, equative blaened, comparative blaenach, superlative blaenaf)

1. front, foremost, anterior

Mutation

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

References

• R. J. Thomas, G. A. Bevan, P. J. Donovan, A. Hawke et al., editors (1950–present), “blaen”, in Geiriadur Prifysgol Cymru Online (in Welsh), University of Wales Centre for Advanced Welsh & Celtic Studies