ELEMENTS 'D.E.F.'

INTRODUCTION ABERTAWE SWANSEA & District AFAN / NEDD BRECONSHIRE BRIDGEND and The VALE CARDIFF and district CARMARTHENSHIRE Cwm RHONDDA Valleys CWM TAWE (Swansea Valley) CYNON VALLEY GŴYR / GOWER LLANDEILO TAL-Y-BONT Pryscedwin  LLIW VALLEY LLYNFI VALLEY MERTHYR TYDFIL MONMOUTHSHIRE PEMBROKESHIRE PONTARDULAIS (Pontarddulais) PONTYPRIDD and district Place-name Elements 'A' Elements 'B' Elements 'C' Elements 'DEF' Elements 'G' Elements 'HIJK'. Elements 'L' Elements 'M' Elements 'N' & 'O' Elements 'P' - 'PL' Elements 'PO' - 'Q' Elements 'R' Elements 'S' Elements 'T' Elements 'U' and 'V' Elements 'W' Elements 'Y' ONOMASTIC TALES PLACE-NAME CHANGES Guest Book My Photos



 

dafad       W, fem. sing. n., pl. defaid, double pl. defeidiau, dims. dafedyn, dafadan, dafaden, ‘sheep'. e.g. Cae defaid. Lltbnt.

 

dafaty      W, masc. sing. n., pl. dafatai, ‘sheepfold, sheepcote, sheep-house'. e.g. Dyfaty, Cae dyfatty, Wain dyfatty. Lltbnt. Dyfatty Street, Swansea. 

 

dan     v. tan

 

dâr     W, fem. sing. n. ‘oak-tree', pl. deri.  e.g. Aberdâr, Cynon Valley.

 

darren   v. tarren

 

dau      W, masc. adj. and sing., fem. sing. dwy, also deu- in composite words, pls. deuoedd, deuwedd, ‘two; both; pair, couple'. e.g. Plygyddaiga, Cae ddwynant, Lladdiad yddwygeiniog, Cae dwy erw, Maes deunant. Lltbnt.

 

degar, deger, de gerw, W, ‘ten acres', also as, decar, degar, deger.

 

deintur    W, masc. sing. n., pl. deintur(i)au, ‘tenter, tenter-frame, tenter-hooks'. e.g. Cae ddinter, Cwm wain cae ddinter, Wain cae ddinter issaf, Wain coed dintir, Coed dintir. Llbnt.

 

delyn   v. telyn

 

deri      W, pl. n. ‘oak-trees', singular, feminine dâr ‘oak-tree'. e.g. ? Bowderry gwynion. Penydery. Lltbnt. Deri, Glam.

 

derwen    W, fem. sing. n., ‘oak, oak-tree'; pl. and collective noun derw, double pl. derwenni, ‘oaks, oak-trees'. e.g. Cae yr dderwen (sic). Lltbnt. Clunderwen, Carms.                                                                                  In the Gwentian dialect of old Glamorgan [the land between the rivers Tawe and Wye (TLlM p.xv)], derw and derwen were used for any type of tree e.g.  derwan fala, derwan gnou, derwan irin. GPC.

 

dew    v. tew

 

difeting    Welsh, di (for emphasis) +  beting < Eng. beating,  'pared turf'', i.e.  the cutting off of the surface of grassland for tillage. cf. burn-beating. e.g. Cae ddifeting, Cwm du isaf (TS1844), Aberdare.

 

dimai       W, fem. sing. n., ‘halfpenny', ‘proverbially, the smallest sum payable', plural dimeiau, dimeiod. e.g. Croft y Dimmeu,  Clyn-y-fid, Lltbnt.

 

din        W, masc. sing. n., 'fort, stronghold'. see Dinbych-y-pysgod, Tenby.

dôl      W, fem. sing. n., pls. -au, -ydd, ‘meadow, dale, field'. e.g. Dolgoed,  Ddolgam, Dolfawr, Ddoluchel, Gors y ddole, Gors y ddole fach. Lltbnt.

domen    v. tomen

 

draen, drain    W, masc., fem. sing. n.; also fem. sing. draenen pl. draenennau; dim. pl. dreiniach, dreinos, dreinios; plural drain;  ‘thorn(s), prickle(s), and figuratively, anything causing pain or grief'. Demetian and Gwentian dialect dra^n. e.g. Pengelli-ddrain; Pantyddraenen; Cae drain. Lltbnt.

 

draenog      W, adj. ‘thorny, prickly'. e.g. Quarter drainog, Cae drainog. Lltbnt.

 

draw       W, adv., ‘yonder, there, beyond'. e.g. Ty draw, Cae draw issaf, Cae draw uchaf, Cae draw, Yr efail draw. Lltbnt. & elsewhere.

 

drum    v. trum

 

dry dock     English, 'a dock from which water could be pumped, in order to carry out repairs on the underside of canal barges etc.' e.g. Dry Dock, Cwmbach (TS1844) Aberdare.

 

drysiog    Welsh, adj. 'full of brambles'. e.g. Drysiog, Ton Coch (TS1844) Aberdare.

 

dryw       Welsh, masc. & fem. n. 'wren', (troglodytes parvulus)  pl. drywod. e.g. Waun y dryw, Gelliffynnone Ucha, Penderyn.TS1841.

 

du, duon     W, adj., pl. duon, ‘black, dark'. e.g. Dulais; Castell du; Llwyn Ifan ddu; Bryn du; Cae du. Pwll duon. Lltbnt.  Coed-Duon/Blackwood,Gwent. Melin Ifan Ddu/Blackmill, Glam.

 

Dulais      W, river-name. e.g. Pontardulais, Pontarddulais, Dulais Road, Dulais Square, Cwm Dulais, Aberdulais, Penybont aber duleis, Pontardulais Hotel, Dulais Glen Hotel, Dulais Croft, Dulais Terrace, Pontardulais Bridge, Pont-ar-Dulas Bridge, Pont-ar-dulais Works (Tinplate), Dulais Tinplate Co. Lltbnt. Blaendulais/Seven Sisters, Glam. Aberdulais, Glam. Blackpill/Dulais, Swansea.

 

dwfn      W, adj, 'deep'. e.g. Dyfnant > Dynfant > Dunvant.  see Gower.

dŵr, dwfr         W, masc. sing. n., ‘water', pl. dyfroedd. e.g. Heol ddwr; Croft y dwr, Wain glandwr, Cae dwr, Pant y dwr. Lltbnt. Landore/Glandwr, Swansea.   

 

dwrgi, dyfrgi   W, masc. sing., pl. dwrgwn, ‘otter'. e.g. Cwm dwrgi, Lltbnt.        

 

 

dwn,    Welsh, 'dun, dark red, brown; swarthy, dark' GPC. e.g. Cae drain dwn, Cefn Pennar Isaf (TS1844) Cynon Valley. Cae Mari Dwn, Merthyr Tydfil.

 

dwyardwyerdwyerw, dwar,           Welsh, 'two acres', 'dwy' + 'erw'.

 

dydd, dyf, daf    v. Taf 

dyffryn      W, masc., sing. n., pls. dyffrynnoedd, dyffrynau, ‘valley, bottom, vale, water course' (dwfr + hynt). e.g. Dyffryn Lliw Farm, Dyffryn House,  Wain dyffryn, Wain dyffryn fawr, Quarter wain dyffryn. Dyffryn Gwilan. Lltbnt.

 

dyrys     W, adj., ‘wild, rough, tangled with undergrowth, thorny', ‘uncultivated land, thicket'. e.g. Glyn dyrys; Coed clyn dyrys. Lltbnt. See Pendyrus, Rhondda.

 

ebolion  W, pl. n., sing. ebol,  'colts, young horses.' e.g. Hendre-bolon, Ystradfellte. see Breconshire.

efail  v. gefail

 

efwr     W, masc. sing. coll. and pl. n. ‘cow-parsnip, hog-weed'. e.g. Rhos Ifor; Rhos Ivor; Bryn efor. Lltbnt. Dinefwr, Llandeilo.

 

eglwys     W, fem. sing. n. pl. eglwysi, ‘church'. e.g. Morfa bach nesaf yr eglwys, Ty'r eglwys. Lltbnt. Pentra'r eclws (Pentre'r eglwys)/Church Village Pontypridd; Eglwys Ilan, Glam; Eglwyswrw, Pembs.

 

eira   W, masc. sing. n., 'snow'. e.g. Sgwd-yr-eira, r. Hepste, Penderyn. 

eisingrug, singrug W. masc. sing. n. ‘heap of corn husks near a mill where corn used to be winnowed after husking; chaff-heap; winnowing bank', e.g. Shingrig y felyn, Shingrig (2) Lltbnt.

eithin     W. pl. coll. n., ‘furze, gorse'. e.g. Cae eithin ychaf, Cae eithin ysaf, Cae eithin, Coedcae yr eithin, Bank yr eithin, cae rhys yr eithin. Lltbnt. Cefneithin, Carms.

 

ellyn      W, masc. fem. sing. n. pl. ellynnod, ellynnau, ‘razor', i.e. a field in the shape of a razor. e.g. Yr ellin, [Pryscedwyn, (field no. 566).] Lltbnt.

 

encil    W, masc. sing. n., ‘refuge, retreat, nook, hiding-place;' pl. encilion. GPC. e.g. Cilfachyrencil, Mynydd Cilfachyrencil, Merthyr Tydfil.

end    Eng. ‘the last point, part or portion'. e.g. Grovesend.  Bridge end. Lltbnt.

 

engine   Eng. ‘land on which agricultural or other machines were sited'. EFN. e.g. Ynys yr Engine, Lltbnt.

 

enherar, enherer  see 'hanererw', (half acre).

ergyd   Welsh, 'blow. shot, aim, point; spur, projection'. e.g. Tir yr ergyd, Aberdare.

erw     W, fem. sing. n. pl. erwau, ‘a Welsh measure of land which varies in size in various parts of Wales;' (Pierce). ‘acre, field' (Anwyl) e.g. Croeserw, Glam.; also used in compound words usually preceded by a number. viz.

                        HANERERW, Hanerar, Enherar, Enherer = half an acre.

                        DWY ERW, Dwyar, Dwar = two acres.

                        TEIR ERW, Teirar, Terar, Tirar, Tairar = three acres.

                        PEDEIRERW, Pederar = four acres.

                        PUMERW, Pimar, Pymar = five acres.

                        WHECHERW, Whechar, Chwechar = six acres.

                        SEITHERW, Seithar, Sithar, Sethar, Saithar = seven acres.

                        WYTHERW, Wythar = eight acres.

                        NAWERW, Nawar = nine acres.

                        DEGERW, Degar, Decar = ten acres.

                        PYMTHEGERW = fifteen acres.

                        CANERW, Canar = one hundred acres.

 

 

esgair   Welsh, 'ridge'. e.g. Esgair y Gadlan, Penderyn.

 

estyll    Welsh, plural of  astell, ‘lath, plank, board.' Here it implies strips of land.  e.g. Tir yr Estyll (TS1844) Aberdare. Pentre Estyll, Swansea.

 

ewigiaid   Welsh, 'hinds, female deer'. e.g. (prob.) Bodwigiad, Penderyn, 'bod' + 'ewigiaid'. (T.R.).

 

ey     O. Scand. ‘island'. e.g.  Swansea. Glam. Caldey, Ramsey, Pembs.

factory  Eng. ‘factory, workshop'. Upper Factory, Lower Factory, Factory Road, Glynllwchwr, Lltbnt.

 

fain    v. main

 

fallen   v. afallen

 

felin   v. melin

fern   Eng. 'fern'. e.g. Ferndale, Rhondda. Fernhill, Cynon Valley. 

ferry   Eng. 'ferry; a place or route of carriage over water; a ferry boat.' e.g. Briton Ferry, Glam. Ferryside, Carms.

 

fetchys    Welsh spelling of English 'vetches', 'a plant of the bean family used for fodder'. CUD. e.g. Cae Fetchys, Blaenant. TS1844. Aberdare. c.f. Vetch Field,Swansea.

 

ffa   W. pl. n. ‘beans, broad beans'. e.g. Pant y ffa, Llangyfelach. [this may be the result of a mis-reading of pant yssa (isaf).] Cae ffa, Cards., Carms., Glam., Cae'r ffa, Glam., Gwent. Crofft y ffa, Gwau y ffa, Tir y ffa, Brecs. Erw'r ffa, Gwent. 

 

ffair   W. fem. sing. n. pl.  ffeiriau ‘fair, market, exchange, merchandise'. e.g. Cae bach y ffair. Cae ffair Villa. Lltbnt. Ffairfach, Llandeilo.

 

ffald   W, (from OE. ‘fald'), fem. sing. n. pl. ffaldau ‘fold, pen, pound, farm-yard'. e.g.Cae ffald, Ty'r ffald, Wain ffald, Pound fald; Cae wern faldy (ffald + ty), Croft faldy. Lltbnt.

 

ffawyddog   W, 'place of beech trees'. e.g. Ffawyddog Farm, Merthyr Tydfil. (Griffiths) and general in s. Wales.  

ffin    W, fem. sing. n. (from Lat. ‘finis'),‘boundary, border, frontier'. e.g. Nant y ffin, Heol Nant y ffin, Pant y ffin. Lltbnt. Ffos-y-ffin, Cards.

fforch  W, ‘fork'. the meeting place of two streams in the form of a two pronged fork with the on-going river/stream forming the handle. e.g. Fforchaman. TS1844. (Aman Fach & Aman Fawr). Aberdare.

 

ffordd   W, fem. sing. n. ‘road, way', pl. ffyrdd,. e.g. Cae'r ffordd, Ysgubor Wen (TS1844). Aberdare. Ffordd, Cae dan y fford pellaf, cae dan y fford nesaf yma. Lltbnt.

 

fforest   W, a forest, borrowed from the English or Old French. N.E.D.Forest:- ‘An extensive tract of land covered with trees and undergrowth, sometimes intermingled with pasture. Also the trees collectively of a 'forest'.' e.g. Fforest Glyn Cynon,1570; Fforest Llwydcoed,1666. Aberdare. Y Fforest, Llanedi; Fforestfach, Swansea; Trefforest, Pontypridd.

 

ffos, ffoes        W, (from Lat. ‘fossa'), fem. sing. n., pl. ffosydd  ‘ditch, dyke, gutter; moat; trench; furrow; groove'; ‘narrow channel dug to carry water, or a ditch dug for land drainage; ditch, gutter'. e.g. Ffos yr efail, Ffos yr efail Lodge, Sych foes ycha/ysaf, ffosyrevel, Foes y fran. Lltbnt. Bancffosfelen, Carms.

 

ffrwd    W, sing. masc. fem. n. ‘swift stream, torrent', pl. ffrydiau. e.g. Camffrwd, glanffrwd, Ty Camffrwd, Wain canffrwd, Cae ty can ffrwd, Cae dan ffrwd isaf/uchaf. Lltbnt.

 

ffrynt   W, (from Eng. ‘front' < Lat. frontis ‘forehead' )  sing. masc. fem. n.  ‘front'. e.g. Cae front. Lltbnt.

 

ffwlbert   Welsh, 'ffwlbart', foumart, polecat. e.g. Carn-y-ffwlbert, Aberdare.SAPN. c.f.Gegin Ffwlbwert & Llety-ffwlbert. Pembs.

 

ffwrn    W, ( from Lat. furnus) fem. sing. n. pls. ffyrniau, ffyrn, ‘oven; furnace; kiln'. e.g. Cae Fwrn uchaf, Cae ffurn du. Lltbnt.

 

ffwrnais, ffwrnaish  v. furnace 

ffydd    Welsh, 'faith, reliance, dependence, confidence'. e.g. Cae'r ffudd, Blaenamman Fach. TS1844. Aberdare.

 

ffynnon   W, (from Lat. fontana) fem. sing. n., pl. ffynhonnau, ‘spring, fountain, well, source'. e.g. Pant y ffynnon, Ffynnon Fadog, Ffynnon rean, Ffynnon Grach, Cae ffynon, Wain ffynon, Quarter ffynon, Grofft y ffynon. Lltbnt. Ffynnon Dâf / Taff's Well, Glam.

 

ffyrch plural of fforch, ‘forks'. e.g. Gwern y ffyrch, Blaengwawr. TS1844. Aberdare.

 

ffyrling, ffyrlling  w, masc. fem. n. 'a farthing', the smallest of the old units of currrency. see Nantyffyllon, Llynfi  Valley. 

fid    v. bid

field    Eng. ‘an open, cleared area of land'. e.g. Bryn field. Lltbnt.

 

flower   Eng. ‘a plant and its blossom'. e.g. Flower park; Flower grove, Glynllwchwr. Lltbnt.

 

forge     Eng. n. ‘the workshop of a workman in iron, etc: a furnace, especially one in which iron is heated: a smithy: a place where anything is shaped or made. - v.t. ‘to form by heating and hammering, by heating and pressure, or by pressure alone ( in the last case, often cold forge), to form'. CED. e.g. Lliw Forge, Forge cottages, Wain y forge, Garden forge. Lltbnt.

 

founder   English, occupation, 'cast metal worker'. e.g, Tir y Founder, Cwmbach. TS1844. Aberdare.

 

foundry   English, 'the art of founding or casting; a place where founding is carried on'. CED. e.g. Foundry Town, Aberdare.

 

fron   v. bron

 

fry    v. bry  

 

fulling  v. pandy

 

 

furnace   Eng. 'furnace; an enclosed structure in which great heat is produced'. e.g. Furnace/Ffwrnais, Llanelli.