erchwyn

Welsh

Etymology

Proto-Celtic *ariskʷend- from *ari- +‎ *skʷend- (“to go down”), from Proto-Indo-European *skend- (“to jump, dart, climb, scale, scan”).

Pronunciation

• (North Wales) IPA^(key): /ˈɛrχwɨ̞n/
• (South Wales) IPA^(key): /ˈɛrχwɪn/

Noun

erchwyn m or f (plural erchwynion or erchwynnau)

1. bedside
2. edge, side, border

Usage notes

This noun is masculine in North Wales and feminine in the South. It tends only to be used now in the phrases wrth erchwyn y gwely (“at the beside”) and wrth erchwyn gwely (“at a bedside, at the bedside of”).

Derived terms

• wrth erchwyn gwely (“at the side of a bed, at the bedside of”)
• wrth erchwyn y gwely (“at the side of the bed”)

Mutation

Welsh mutation
radical	soft	nasal	h-prothesis
erchwyn	unchanged	unchanged	herchwyn
Note: Some of these forms may be hypothetical. Not every possible mutated form of every word actually occurs.

Further reading

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