ELEMENTS 'G'

gaeaf       W,  masc. sing. n. pls. gaeafau, gaeafoedd,  ‘winter'; indicating land used in winter. Erw gaea, Erw gïe. Lltbnt.

gafael      Welsh, 'a holding of land'; 'a term in Welsh law which describes a basic unit of land division, consisting of thirty four acres'."Glossary of Medieval Welsh Law" by Timothy Lewis,1918.from Background Notes to Gardd Aberdar.also see SAPN.& PNP. e.g. Gafael y Pennar, Aberdare.

gain           v. cain

gallt           v. allt.

ganol         v. canol

gardd        W, (borrowed from ON gardr) fem. sing. n. pl. gerddi, ‘garden; enclosure'. Gardd y mynydd, Gardd cefnty, Ardd pwll llif, Ardd fain, Ardd issaf, Ardd uchaf, Ardd tycefnty, Ardd llidiad mawr, Ardd ycha y cwm, Ardd issa y cwm, Graig ardd twyn issaf, Ardd twyn issaf, Hen ardd. Lltbnt.

gardde      W, loc. dial. form of garddau, pl. of gardd. . Cadrawd, in ‘The Place-names of Monmouthshire,' an unpublished eisteddfodic essay,  CCL, [Meisg. 27],  writes  - ‘A very common name in Gwent and Morgannwg for an enclosure near the farmhouse, into which the calves were turned out for the first time. In the days of shoeing oxen, it was in the Gardda they were felled to nail on the shoes. The place was always green, and the grass kept short, and it was well fenced'. ‘The forms "garddau, gardda" are often found in "Plymouth Surveys, 1766" with its English translation of "Gardens".'  [Meisg. 27]. Cornel y gardde. Cae'r Gardda,  Aberdare.

garden      Eng. ‘piece of ground used for growing flowers, fruit or vegetables'. Rosemary Garden. Lltbnt. Garden City, Llangennech, Carms.

gariad        v. cariad

garn           v. carn

garth         W, masc. fem. sing. n. ‘hill, ridge, height’. e.g. Garth; Llwydarth; Penarth; Mynydd-y-garth; Garth Graban; Garth Maelwg; Garth Olwg.  All Glam. 

garw         W, sing. adj., pls. geirw, geirwon,  ‘rough, rugged, craggy, uncultivated; coarse; uncomfortable'. Garnant, Cae garw(2), Cwm garw, Croft Cwm garw, Cae garw mawr, Cae bont arw, Berth Arw issaf, Berth Arw uchaf. Lltbnt.

gate         Eng. ‘a movable barrier that opens and closes an entrance; a structure which regulates passage', ‘toll gates'. Pontardylais Gate, Bolgoed Gate, Gate House, Gateshop, Groft gate y mynydd. Lltbnt.

gefail       W, fem. sing. n. pl. gefeiliau ‘blacksmith's workshop; smithy; forge.' Usually found in its mutated form ‘efail' and often written as ‘evail'. Sometimes there is confusion between gefail (the blacksmith's workshop) and gefel (tongs, pincers, - the blacksmith's tool). e.g.  Ffos-yr-efail, Cae'r efail, Pen yr efel, Wain yr efail, Gefail Ty Rush, Gefail y Cambria, Yr efail draw, Yr efail wen. Lltbnt. Tonyrefail, Rhondda.

geifr        plural of  gafr  ‘goat'.  e.g. Cae'r geifr, Hendre Bailey. Erw geifir,Pwllfa. Aberdare.

geiniog     v. ceiniog

gelau        W, masc. and fem n., pl. gelod, geleod,  ‘leech'. Pwll-y-gelyod, Lltbnt.

gelli          v. celli

glais         Welsh, masc. sing. n. ‘stream, rivulet'. [c.f. OI  glais, glaise, Ir glas, glash ‘stream, rivulet' as in Glashaboy, Glasheen, Glasnevin etc. v. ILNE]. Glais is a common element, mostly in southern Welsh place-names, standing alone in Y Glais near Clydach, Swansea and occurring as a composite element in the stream-names Camlais, Dulais, Dowlais, Gwynlais, Gwenlais, Marlais, Morlais, and probably also in the place-names Pen-glais, Rhiw-glais, Bron-glais and Craiglais in Aberystwyth. It occurs in its dialect form in Pontardilash 1674, Y Wilash for Gwenlais,  together with Aber-lash near Llandybie and Lan-lash, Llangathen, Carms.It takes the form of glas in Camlas, Dulas, Fferlas, Morlas etc. It also appears in Douglas Lancs and IoM, Douglas Burn in Abdn and Slk, Douglas Water in Arg and Lnk , Dalch and Dawlish, Dev,  as well as Devils Brook and Divelish, Do. e.g. Pontardulais, Aberdulais, Gwenlais, Cwm Dulais, Glan Dulais, Dulais Glen. Lltbnt.

glak        v. clak

glan         Welsh, fem. sing. n. pl. glanau, glennydd ‘river-bank, edge, brink; shore; slope, bank, rising ground, hillside, hillock, mountain'. In the names Glan Dulais, Glan-yr-afon, Glanffrwd, Wain Glandwr, Ynis lan fach/fawr the ‘glan' element refers to a river-bank or river-side, while in ‘Dan-y-lan' it is probably an extension in the sense of land which rises from a river, stream, pond or lake. See PNDPH 342-3 & EANC 49-50.  Penlan, Penylan, Cae lan yr afon, Wain surlan, ?Ty'r lan, Wainlan, Wain y lan, Cae lan (several). Lltbnt.

glas        W, adj, pl. gleision (dial. gleishon) also as masc. n. pl. glasiau ‘blue, green'. In place-names it usually infers ‘green, grass coloured, bluish-green, verdant; covered with green grass, clothed with verdure or foliage'. e.g. Beili Glas, Y Parlas, Glasfryn, Rhandir-las, Hanereg las, Cae glas, Ynis las, Wain baily glas, Heol las. [In the case of Heol las it could refer to a grass-covered road, or it could have a meaning of  ‘light blue, pale-blue or pale-green, slate-coloured;' possibly referring to a stony road.] LLtbnt.

glawdd     v. clawdd

glebe       English, land attached to a church; 'land assigned to a clergyman as part of his benefice'. JF. e.g. Glebe, Aberdare.TS1844. The Glebelands, Newport, Mon.

glen          Eng. from Gael.  ‘valley', c.f. W ‘glyn'. Dulais Glen. Lltbnt. Glenboi, Cynon Valley.

glo            W masc. n. and coll. n., pl. gloeau, ‘coal, charcoal'. Pant y glo, Wainyglo. Lltbnt.

glyn          W, masc. (rarely fem.) sing. n., pl.  glynnoedd, glynnau, glyniau ‘glen, dingle, dale, dell, (wooded) valley;' In place-names, glyn  is often confused and interchanged with clun. e.g. Glynllwchwr, Glynhir, Glyn-y-fid, Glyn cors-y-fron, Glyn dyrys.  Lltbnt. v. G.P.C. s.n.

gnap          v. cnap

gnol          W,  'mound, hillock', from English 'knoll', Old English  cnoll, 'hill top, hill'. e.g. Cae'r Gnol (Aberdar).

go              v. gwerfa (go + oerfa)

goch         v. coch

godra       dial. for 'godre'. e.g. Godra Rhyw Werfa. Aberdare.

godre       Welsh, 'boundary, bottom, foot of mountain or hill'. e.g. Godre-aman,                          Aberdare. Godre'r-graig, Cwm Tawe.

gof          W masc. sing. n., pl. gofaint, gofiaid, gofion, gof(i)ein, ‘smith, blacksmith, ironsmith'; one who works with iron, forges iron with a hammer. e.g. Ty'r gof, Gwain y gof, Wain gof bach, Cae gof mawr/bach, Croft y gof, Cae yr gof uchaf/issaf, Wain y gof. Lltbnt.

gog       v. cog

gofer     W masc. and fem. n., pl. goferydd, goferoedd, goferau, goferi ‘overflow of a well spring; effluence, duct; stream, brook, rill, rivulet'. ‘Gofer yw'r ffrwd a lifa drosodd o ffynnon.' ELl 41. In Dyfed, ‘gofer' refers to a concealed brook often running alongside a road or pathway. v. G.P.C. s.n. ? Govern, Clyn Fid [field no. 1783, TS1844.], probably an abbreviated form of the dim. ‘goferen', v. G.B.O. 104. The Camffrwd stream and the well at Tir bach are nearby. Lltbnt.

golau    W masc. sing. n. & adj. ‘light, fair; open land, land cleared of trees'. Bryngoleu. Lltbnt.

golchfa   Welsh, 'washing place; pool in a stream to wash sheep'. e.g. Golchfa Buarth y Capel, (Llanwynno). (Yr) Olchfa, Swansea.

golef      W, masc. sing. n. & adj. ‘light'; ‘a place in a sunny spot'. The letters ‘f' and ‘w' are often interchanged in the loc. dial. e.g. ‘ewn' for ‘eofn' ‘walle' for ‘efallai', ‘pythwnos' for ‘pythefnos', ‘briwa' for ‘brifo', ‘twlu' for ‘taflu', ‘hawdre' for ‘hafdre',  etc.  e.g. ?  Wain golew, Rhydywerfa, Pontlliw,  TS 463; ? Wain golewi, Cylordir, Pontlliw, TS 460; ? Wain golewi, Cytyrystarn, Pontlliw, TS 736. Lltbnt.

golosg    W masc. sing. n. pl. golosgion ‘charcoal, coke; tinder, charred remains of furze etc; conflagration.' GPC. Cae gwlosg. Lltbnt.

goose     Eng. 'bird of the duck family'. see Starve Goose/Starr Gorse. 

gopa      v. copa

gored    v. cored

gores(t)  W masc. & fem. sing. n., pl. gorestau ‘open, fenceless, unenclosed, uncultivated, waste, barren land'. Llwyn y gorast. Lltbnt. c.f. Coedygoras, Llanedern, Cardiff; Llwyngoras, Mathri, Pembs.; Llyn Gorast, Caron-uwch-clawdd, Teifi Valley. v. GPC.

gorlan     v. corlan

gorof   v.   corf, corof 

gors         v. cors

graban      W masc. sing. & coll. n., ‘darnel; corn-marigold; bur-marigold; chaff;' ‘yellow ox-eye daisy'. e.g. Alltygraban; Alltygraban fach; Alltygraban Road; Alltygraban House; Alltygraban Villa; Alltygraban golf course. Gwenlais. Lltbnt.

graean      W, pl. and coll. n., dim. sing. masc. greyenyn fem. graeanen, ‘gravel, coarse sand, shingle, grit'. Used as an adj. in Ffynnon Raean, Glynllwchwr. Lltbnt.

graig     v. craig

grech    v. crech

grimbil    v. crimbil

grofft      v. croft

grove      Eng. ‘a wood of small size'. Grovesend; Grove Farm; Pryscedwin. Flower Grove, Glynllwchwr. copped grove. Lltbnt.

grug        W, coll. n., pl. grugoedd dim. grugyn, grugen ‘heather, ling; heath.' Cae wain rug (2). Lltbnt.

grugos    W, fem. sing. n. [grug + suffix -os] ‘place overgrown with heather; heath.' Wain rhy gos.  Lltbnt. Y Rugos (Rhigos), near Aberdare. v. CVPN 85;

gwael      W, adj. ‘poor, mean'. Cae wail. Lltbnt.

gwair      W, 'grass'. e.g. Cae gwair bach, Ynis y gwair isaf/uchaf, Cae gwair hir, Morfa gwair. Lltbnt.

gwaith     Welsh, 'a place of work'. e.g. Rhiw cae gwaith, Abernant y groes ychaf,                                   TS1844. Aberdare.

gwal      W, from Eng. 'wall', < Old English 'weall'. e.g. Pen y Wal (Llanwynno).

gwala   Welsh, 'enough, sufficency, fullness, plenty'.Meisg.p74. e.g. Gwain y Gwala, Aberamman Isaf.TS1844.(meadow of plenty).

gwalc   W [ borrowed from OE wealca ‘roller, wave, billow'] masc. and fem. n., pl. gwalciau ‘a turning up; brim, edge, rim, cantle; ridge; battlements, parapet, rampart, wall', GPC. ‘a walk, a ridge of ground higher than ordinary'. TJ, 1688, GPC. Llwyn walk uchaf, Llwyn walk issaf, Talycynllwyn. c.f. Ffald Gwalciau, Rhigos; Cae'r walc, Caenarfon; Cae y Walc, Dinam; Cae'r walk Meifod; Cae y Walk, Montgomery collections; Gwalciau'r Cwm, Llanfigan, Brycheiniog, [MRA], (An.Dan.) 

gwar     W, masc. & fem. sing. n. pl., gwarrau, ‘nape of the neck', ‘place just above and behind something, upper part, brink, verge'. Groft gwar y ty. Lltbnt.     

gwartheg     W, pl. and coll. n., dim. sing.  gwarthegyn, double pl. gwarthegau, ‘cattle, kine; milch or milking cows'. e.g. Ynis y gwartheg. Lltbnt.

gwastad      W, adj. ‘flat, level, plane, smooth, even, horizontal',  and masc. sing. n., pl. gwastadoedd, gwastadau, gwastadion, ‘a piece of level ground, a flat, plain, low-lying land, floor or bottom (of a valley), vale;'. e.g.  Bryn gwastad, Llety wastad. Lltbnt.

gwaun, gweunydd       W, fem. sing. n. pl., gweunydd, gweunoedd, gweunon, ‘high and wet level ground, moorland, heath; low-lying marshy ground, meadow'. e.g. Heol y waun, Waungron, Gwain y gof, Waun Caradog, Gwaun Canffrwd, Waun y gof, Pantwaun fach, Ty'r wain, Wain y glo, Wain fach, Wain goch, Wain, Wain ganol, Gwaun rhoswith etc. Gweunydd bach, Gweinydd mynach, Gwainydd Meinon uchaf, Gwainydd etc. Lltbnt. Waunarlwydd, Swansea. Gwauncaegurwen, Glam.

Gwawr     river name, Welsh, 'dawn,hue' also pers. name. e.g.Blaengwawr. OSM. 1833. MR. (Tire Abergwawre,1638). Aberdare.

gwenith     Welsh, 'wheat'. e .g. Gwenith bach, Tir Mawr.TS1844. Aberdare.

gwevel      Welsh, gwefl, nickname for 'thick-lipped'.see Meisg.p85. e.g. Kae Ivan Gwevel, circ 17th Cent. RR. Aberdare.

gwcw      v. cwcw

gwehydd, gweydd    W, masc. sing. n., loc. dial., gwaidd, ,fem. gwehyddes, gweyddes, loc. dial. gwiddes, pl., gwehyddion, gweyddion, loc. dial. gwiddon, ‘weaver, weaveress'. e.g. Cae Shoni gwaudd. Lltbnt.

gweirglodd      Welsh, 'meadow, pasture land'. e.g. Gwerlodd. Gworlodd & Worlodd,Tir Draw. TS1844. Aberdare.

gwen      W, adj., fem. of gwyn ‘white'. e.g. Gwenlais, Hendre wen, pantwen, Yniswen, ?Gwenfaen. Lltbnt.

gwenallt     Welsh, 'white wooded hill; milk wood'. gwen + allt. e.g. Abernant y Wenallt.(Tyr Aber Nant y Wenallte 1632), Aberdare.

gwerfa

go-oerfa     W, masc. and fem. sing. n. pl., gwerfeydd, gwerfoedd, ‘cool place, the shade',  GPC, go-oerfa s.n. ‘A shady area on mountain or hill for cattle or sheep to shelter from the sun'. RJT, Meisg. 32.  Rhyd y werfa. Lltbnt. Y Werfa, Aberdare.

gwern      W, masc. and fem sing. n. also coll. n., pl., gwerni, gwernydd, gwernau, ‘alder-grove, alder-marsh, swamp, quagmire; damp meadow'. e.g. Penywern, Ty'n y wern, Ty wern, Werngud, Wern willt, Wern, etc. Lltbnt.

gweunlle, gwenlle    W, masc. sing. n. ‘piece of wet, clayey and sour land'. e.g. Wenlle (Gorsgoed), Wenlle (Llwyn adam), Wenlle cae du (Tal-y-fan Fawr). Lltbnt.

gwr     W. masc. sing. n.,  pl. gwyr, ‘man, husband'. Llwyngwrtawel, Llwyngwrtawel mill. (pop. etym. for Llwyn-cwrt-hywel.) see Ty Rwsh, Llandeilo Tal-y-bont. Note Llanwrda, Carms. is llan & Gwrdaf, pers. n.

gwraig      W, fem. sing. n., pl. gwragedd, ‘wife, woman'. e.g. Cae gwraig hen, Cae'r wraig he^n (Glyn y fid). Lltbnt.

gwryd    Welsh, 'fathom; distance of a man's oustretched arms from finger-tip to finger-tip; land measurement'. e.g. Tyr y Gwryd,1666. Aberdare. 

gwter     Welsh from Eng. ‘gutter, drain.' e.g. Cwtygwter, Penderyn.

gwy        Welsh. 'water, liquid' (GPC). e.g. ? Blaenant y gwy, Abernant y groes                                     ychaf. TS1844. Aberdare

Gwyddel  Welsh, 'Goidel, Irishman'. e.g. Bedd y Gwyddel, Aberdare.

gwyll        W, adj. ‘dark, gloomy, dusky, shadowy'. ?Gwillais, Abergwilles.Lltbnt.

gwyllt       W, adj. ‘wild, uncultivated'. Heol wyllt, Wern willt, Cae gwylt (sic). Lltbnt.

gwyn        W, adj. ‘masc. sing. n., fem. gwen, pl. gwynion, ‘white, fair, light; blessed, holy'. e.g. Pistyll gwyn, Gwynfryn, Llwyn gwyn, Thythin ty-gwyn, Cae gwyn bach/mawr, Cwrt gwyn, Gwynfaen. Bowderry gwynion. Lltbnt. 

gwndwn, gwyndwn         W, masc. sing. n., pl. gwyndynnydd, gwndwnnydd, gwndonnydd, ‘unploughed land, uncultivated land, lay-land, hay-land; open space, plain'. e.g. Gwndwn bach. Lltbnt.

Gwynno           pers.name. Patron Saint of Llan Wynno (mutated), and along with Illtyd and Dyfodwg, is one of the three patron saints of Llantrisant(church of the three saints). The parish of Vaynor, (Y Faenor) near Merthyr Tydfil, is also known as Maenor Gwynno.  e.g. Llanwynno.OSM. (Llanivonno,1535).

gwys       Welsh, 'sow,breeding sow; pig;female (of young pigs).' GPC.  e.g. Bryn y Gwys, Trebannog Genol. Penderyn.TS1841.

gyfeillion         Welsh, cyf + eilltion (plural of 'allt') refer to the two nearby cliffs/slopes. (Pierce.Western Mail. e.g. Y Gyfeillion, Llanwynno. (Gyveillon,1838), c.f. Govilon, Gwent.