Welsh

From Middle English Walsch, Welische, from Old English wīelisċ (“Briton; Roman; Celt”), from Proto-West Germanic *walhisk, from Proto-Germanic *walhiskaz (“Celt; later Roman”), from *walhaz (“Celt, Roman”) (compare Old English wealh), from the name of the Gaulish tribe, the Volcae (recorded only in Latin contexts).

This word was borrowed from Germanic into Slavic (compare Old Church Slavonic Влахъ (Vlaxŭ, “Vlachs, Romanians”), Byzantine Greek Βλάχος (Blákhos)).

Doublet of Vellish. Compare Walloon, walnut, Vlach, Walach, Gaul, Cornwall.

• IPA^(key): /wɛlʃ/

• Audio (US)

  (file)

• Rhymes: -ɛlʃ

Welsh (not comparable)

1. (now historical) (Native) British; pertaining to the Celtic peoples who inhabited much of Britain before the Roman occupation. [from 5^thc.]
   • 1985, Michael Wood, In Search of the Trojan War:

     The Tudors, it was argued, were of Welsh or ancient British descent.

2. Of or pertaining to Wales. [from 11^thc.]
3. Of or pertaining to the Celtic language of Wales. [from 16^thc.]
4. Designating plants or animals from or associated with Wales. (See Derived terms.) [from 17^thc.]

• Cambrian, Cymric, Walian, Welshy, Welshie

Welsh (countable and uncountable, plural Welsh)

1. (uncountable) The Welsh language. [from 10th c.]
   • 1832, Queen Victoria, journal, 6 Aug 1832:

     9 minutes to 2. We just stopped to have our horses' mouths washed, and there all people spoke welsh.

2. (collectively, in the plural) The people of Wales. [from 11th c.]
3. A breed of pig, kept mainly for bacon.

• (language): Cymric, Kymric
• (people): See Welshman

• Welshland
• Welshman

(language):

• Old Welsh
• Middle Welsh

Welsh (plural Welshes)

1. An English and Scottish surname transferred from the nickname for someone who was a Welshman or a Celt.
2. An Irish surname, a variant of Walsh.
3. A town in Louisiana, United States, named for early landowner Henry Welsh.
4. An unincorporated community in Ohio, United States, named for an early settler.

• Wiktionary’s coverage of Welsh terms

• ISO 639-1 code cy, ISO 639-3 code cym (SIL)
• Ethnologue entry for Welsh, cym ⁠

From English Welsh.

• audio

  (file)

• IPA^(key): /ʋɛlʃ/

Welsh n (uncountable)

1. Welsh, the language.

• Wels (unusual), Kymrisch

Welsh (not comparable)

1. Welsh

• Wels (unusual)