Welsh Place Names around Bala, Wales
Places names around Bala:
- Bala: the outflow from the lake or an isthmus between two lakes (the lake was larger in the past and therefore could have been seperated into two lakes)
- Cwm Hirnant: valley of the long stream (Cwm is also used for a corrie)
- Frongoch: red (russet) hillside – coloured by withered bracken in winter
- Llyn Tegid: Lake Bala – Tegid derives from the prince featured in the “Legend of Bala Lake.” Another possible derivation from “Tacitus,” a Roman general.
- Llanuwchllyn: Church above the lake
- Llangower or Llangywair: The church of Saint Cywair
- Llanycil: The church in a sheltered enclave or retreat
- Llandderfel: The church of Saint Derfel
- Llandrillo: The church of Saint Trillo
- Llanfor: (Llan + mawr) The principal church of Penllyn at one time
- Llangwm: The church in the valley
- Cefnddwysarn: The hillside of the two roads. “Sarn” from Latin “strata” (road)
- Sarnau: plural form of “sarn” – the Roman roads
- Penllyn: The upper (Dee) valley area around the lake
- Rhosygwaliau: Rhos (heath) + gwaliau (walls or enclosures)
What exactly is a Llan?
Over 430 places in Wales start with 'Llan'. A 'Llan' was a piece of land, usually circular, enclosed by a wooden fence within which would be a church and, occasionally a Christian community. Each 'Llan' was established around the 6th century by various Celtic saints after whom many (but not all) of the sites were named.
Local mountains:
- Aran Benllyn: The Aran nearest to Penllyn
- Aran Fawddwy: The Aran nearest to Mawddwy
- Arenig: Diminutive form of Aran
- Arenig Fawr: greater (Arenig)
- Arenig Fach: lesser (Arenig)
- Berwyn: The white hills
- Moel Emoel: The bare rounded hill of Emoel (could be a personal name)
The following vocabulary gives the English equivalent
Water related features:
- aber: confluence or river mouth
- afon: river
- cymer: confluence or meeting of rivers
- ffos: ditch
- glan y mor: seaside
- glan: river bank or lakeside
- llyn: lake
- merddwr: still or “dead water” in bogland
- mor: sea
- morfa: coastal marsh
- nant: stream
- pont/bont: bridge
- porth: port
- pwll: pool
- rhaeadr: waterfall
- rhyd: ford
- traeth: beach
- ynys: island
Buildings/villages/towns:
- caer/gaer: camp or fortified settlement
- capel: chapel
- castell: castle
- dinas: hill-fort, city
- eglwys: church usually Anglican
- fford: road
- hafod: summer-pasture dwelling
- hendre: winter dwelling, the permanent homebase
- llan: church village or parish
- llys: hall or court
- melin: mill
- pandy: a fulling mill
- pentre: village, hamlet
- plas: mansion
- stryd: street (from Roman “strata”)
- tre, tref: town: also found in cartref (family home)
- tŷ: house
- ysgol: school
Land related:
- bedw/fedw: birch
- blaen: head, source
- clawdd: earth-wall or dyke (often topped by hedge or fence)
- coed: wood
- derw: oak
- garth: enclosure
- ffin: boundary
- ffridd: hillside rough pasture
- gwaun/waen: heath, moor
- heol: road
- llwyn grove: bush
- masarn: sycamore
- onnen/ynn: ash
- pant: hollow
- rhos: moor/ heath
- sarn: causeway, old Roman road
- wal: stone- wall
Mountains:
- allt: steep hillside (usually wooded)
- ban/fan: summit, peak, crest
- blaen: head, source
- bryn (bryniau pl.): hill(s)
- bwlch: pass
- carn/garn: cairn
- carreg: stone, rock
- cefn: ridge
- craig/graig: rock or cliff
- crib: crest, summit, ridge
- cwm: upland valley or cirque (an example of a Welsh word being adopted internationally after 1953 Everest Expedition)
- dyffryn: valley – usually broad and fertile
- glyn: steep-sided deep valley (glen)
- maen: stone
- moel/foel: bare hill
- mynydd, fynydd: mountain
- pant: hollow, depression
- twyn: hill
- ystrad: from Latin “strata” - road
Position/size related (often used in building/place names):
- bach/fach: small
- canol/ganol: middle
- isa/isaf: lower/est
- mawr/fawr great, big
- pen: head/top or end
- ucha/uchaf: higher/highest
Colours:
- coch/goch: red
- du/ddu: black
- glas: blue (can also mean “green” in older Welsh)
- gwyn/wyn: white
- gwyrdd: green
- melyn: yellow