carw

Welsh

Etymology

From Middle Welsh carw, from Old Welsh caru, from Proto-Brythonic *karw, from Proto-Celtic *karwos, from Proto-Indo-European *ḱr̥h₂wós, from *ḱerh₂- (“horn”). False cognate of caribou.

Pronunciation

(North Wales) IPA^(key): /ˈkarʊ/
(South Wales) IPA^(key): /ˈka(ː)ru/
Rhymes: -arʊ

Noun

carw m (plural ceirw)

deer, hart (Cervidae)
male deer, stag, buck
Synonyms: hydd, bwch
(informal) reindeer
Es i â'r plant i weld Siôn Corn a'i geirw.
I took the kids to see Father Christmas and his reindeer.
(figuratively) lord, nobleman, patron, etc.

Usage notes

Carw is used informally to refer to "reindeer" in the context of Christmas. The standard word for "reindeer" is carw Llychlyn.

Related terms

elain (“fawn”)
ewig (“doe”)
hydd (“stag”)

Derived hyponyms

carw coch (“red deer”)
carw dŵr (“water deer”)
carw Llychlyn (“reindeer”)
carw mwntjac (“muntjac deer”)
carw sica (“sika deer”)

Other hyponyms

danas (“fallow deer”)
iwrch (“roe deer”)

Mutation

Mutated forms of *carw*
radical	soft	nasal	aspirate
carw	garw	ngharw	charw

Note: Certain mutated forms of some words can never occur in standard Welsh.
All possible mutated forms are displayed for convenience.

References

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