gwaith

Welsh

Etymology

Doublets; from Middle Welsh gweith, from Proto-Brythonic *gweiθ, from Proto-Celtic *wextā (“time, course, turn”) (compare Cornish gweyth, Breton gwezh, Old Irish fecht (“journey; time, occasion”), Irish feacht (“journey; time, occasion”)), feminine past participle of Proto-Indo-European *weǵʰ- (“to carry, drive”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ɡwai̯θ/
• Homophone: gwaeth (“worse”) (South Wales)
• Rhymes: -aːi̯θ

Noun

gwaith m (plural gweithiau or gweithoedd or gweithydd or gweithion)

1. work, labour, act, deed, task, job; aid

   Mae llawer o waith i'w gael yng Nghaerdydd.

   There's lots of work to be had in Cardiff.

2. something that is or was done deliberately, product of a physical or mental effort (e.g. building, literary or musical composition, needlework), composition, construction, formation (often left untranslated in English)

   gwaith cwrs ― coursework

   gwaith gwnïo ― sewing

   gwaith marcio ― (teacher's) marking

3. craftsmanship, workmanship, ornamentation, art, execution

   gwaith saer ― carpentry

4. fortification, earthwork, fort
5. a working place, works, factory, manufactory; mine

   mynd i'r gwaith ― to go to work

   gwaith dur ― steelworks

6. (especially South Wales, in the plural) industrial district
7. shape, form, fashion, look, appearance, manner, mode
8. (physics) work

   Pan fo grym 1 newton yn symud pellter o 1 metr, cynhyrchir 1 joule o waith.

   When 1 newton of force moves [an object] a distance of 1 metre, 1 joule of work is generated.

Derived terms

• amgylchedd gwaith (“work environment”)
• amodau gwaith (“working conditions”)
• anaf yn y gwaith (“work injury”)
• arferion gwaith (“work habits”)
• arwyneb gwaith (“work surface”)
• baich gwaith (“workload”)
• bwrdd gwaith (“desktop”)
• bywyd gwaith (“work life”)
• canolfan gwaith (“jon centre”)
• ceisiwr gwaith (“jobseeker”)
• colli gwaith (“redundancy”)
• cynllun gwaith (“work plan”)
• deuparth gwaith ei ddechrau (“half the work is getting started”)
• diwrnod gwaith (“work day, business day”)
• gwaith â llaw (“manual work”)
• gwaith achos (“casework”)
• gwaith adeiladu (“construction”)
• gwaith adfer (“remedial work”)
• gwaith am dâl (“renumerative work”)
• gwaith amaethyddol (“agricultural work”)
• gwaith asiedydd (“joinery”)
• gwaith aur (“gold mine”)
• gwaith basged (“basketry”)
• gwaith blaen nodwydd (“needlepoint”)
• gwaith brics (“brickworks”)
• gwaith brig (“open-cast mine”)
• gwaith bydwraig (“midwifery”)
• gwaith caib a rhaw (“manual labour, dirty work”)
• gwaith caled (“hard work”)
• gwaith carreg (“stonework”)
• gwaith cartref (“homework, assignment”)
• gwaith carthion (“sewage works”)
• gwaith celf (“artwork”)
• gwaith cemegol (“chemical works”)
• gwaith coed (“woodwork”)
• gwaith criw (“gang work”)
• gwaith crosio (“crochet (work)”)
• gwaith cwrs (“coursework”)
• gwaith cymdeithasol (“social work”)
• gwaith cymuned (“community work”)
• gwaith di-dâl (“unpaid work”)
• gwaith diwrnod (“a day's work; a day's journey”)
• gwaith dros dro (“temporary work”)
• gwaith dur (“steelworks”)
• gwaith dŵr (“waterworks”)
• gwaith estyn allan (“outreach work”)
• gwaith ffelt (“feltwork”)
• gwaith glo (“coalmine, colliery”)
• gwaith gof (“forgework”)
• gwaith grŵp (“groupwork”)
• gwaith gwiail (“canework”)
• gwaith gwirfoddol (“voluntary work”)
• gwaith gwydr (“glass works”)
• gwaith haearn (“ironworks”)
• gwaith ieuenctid (“youthwork”)
• gwaith llaw (“handiwork, handicraft”)
• gwaith maen (“masonry”)
• gwaith maes (“fieldwork”)
• gwaith marcio (“marking”)
• gwaith metel (“metalwork”)
• gwaith o dan gontract (“contractual work”)
• gwaith oddi ar y safle (“offsite work”)
• gwaith oes (“life's work”)
• gwaith prawf (“probation work”)
• gwaith pwdlo (“bloomery”)
• gwaith raffia (“raffia work”)
• gwaith rhan-amser (“part-time work”)
• gwaith saer (“carpentry”)
• gwaith teils (“tilery”)
• gwaith tîm (“teamwork”)
• gwaith toddi (“smeltery, smelting works”)
• gwaith trin carthion (“sewage treatmant works”)
• gwaith trin dŵr (“water treatmant works”)
• gwaith trin gwastraff (“waste treatmant works”)
• gwaith turn (“lathework”)
• gwaith tŷ (“housework, chores”)
• gwaith ymchwilio (“investivigative work”)
• gwaith ysgrifenedig (“written work”)
• gweithdy (“workshop”)
• gweithfan (“work station”)
• gweithgar (“hardworking”)
• gweithio (“to work”)
• gweithred (“action”)
• lleoliad gwaith (“work placement”)
• llyfr gwaith (“workbook”)
• oriau gwaith (“working hours”)
• patrwm gwaith (“work pattern”)
• profiad gwaith (“work experience”)
• Sul, gŵyl a gwaith (“every day of the week”)
• telerau gwaith (“working terms”)
• yn y gwaith (“at work; work-based”)

 

Noun

gwaith f (plural gweithiau)

1. time (with cardinal numbers, 'how many times', etc.), occasion, course, turn

   Synonyms: amser, tro

   Rydyn ni wedi gwylio'r ffilm 'ma dwywaith

   We've watched this film two times

2. journey, course, migration
3. (military) battle, combat, action

Derived terms

• ambell waith (“sometimes”)
• dwywaith (“twice”)
• noswaith (“evening”)
• sawl gwaith (“how many times; several times”)
• teirgwaith (“thrice”)
• unwaith (“once”)

 

Mutation

Welsh mutation
radical	soft	nasal	aspirate
gwaith	waith	ngwaith	unchanged
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), “gwaith”, in Geiriadur Prifysgol Cymru Online (in Welsh), University of Wales Centre for Advanced Welsh & Celtic Studies