See also: gwyl and gwŷl

Welsh

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Alternative forms

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  • gwyl (both etymologies)

Pronunciation

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Etymology 1

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From Latin vigilia (wakefulness, watch), from vigil (awake), from Proto-Indo-European *weǵ- (to be strong).

Noun

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gŵyl m or f (plural gwyliau)

  1. (archaic) vigil
  2. festival, feast, holiday
  3. (usually in the plural) holiday, vacation
Usage notes
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In the singular, this refers to a "festival" of some kind. In the plural, it can mean "festivals" or "vacation", i.e. to both the American and British senses of the word "holidays". Some speakers distinguish these meanings in pronunciation, for example in a south Wales accent, IPA(key): /ɡʊi̯ljai̯/ for "festivals", American "holidays" and IPA(key): /ɡwɪljai̯/ for "vacation", British "holiday(s)". For other speakers, both are pronounced the same.

Derived terms
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Etymology 2

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From Middle Welsh gŵyl, from Proto-Celtic *weilos.

Adjective

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gŵyl (feminine singular gŵyl, plural gwylion, equative gwyled, comparative gwylach, superlative gwylaf)

  1. bashful, modest

Mutation

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

Further reading

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