hiraeth

Welsh

FWOTD – 19 December 2021

Etymology

From Proto-Brythonic *hiraɨθ, from Proto-Celtic *sīraxto-, akin to Gaulish siraxta (“longing”). Compare Cornish hireth, Breton hiraezh, and Old Irish sírecht. By surface analysis, hir +‎ -aeth.

Pronunciation

  • (North Wales, standard, colloquial) IPA(key): /ˈhɪraɨ̯θ/
  • (South Wales, standard) IPA(key): /ˈhiːrai̯θ/, /ˈhɪrai̯θ/
    • (South Wales, colloquial) IPA(key): /ˈhiːrɛθ/, /ˈhɪrɛθ/
  • Audio:(file)

Noun

hiraeth m (plural hiraethau or hiraethion, not mutable)

  1. wistfulness; nostalgia; longing; homesickness; a deep feeling of yearning for something, someone or somewhere
  2. longing for a romanticized ideal of Wales or Welsh culture
  3. regret
  • hiraethu (“to long for”)

See also

References

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