Colour words in Welsh (Lliwiau)

Words for colours in Welsh with notes and colour-related expressions.

The word for colour in Welsh is lliw [ɬiu] (pl: lliwiau), which also means hue, tine; (colour of) complexion or skin, countenance, colouring; state, appearance, form, character; lustre, shade (of meaning); pigment, paint, make-up, cosmetic; dye.

Related words include:

More details of lliw and words related to Colourful Hues in Celtic languages.


black du [dɨ̞ː/dɪː] - black, sable, dark

Etymology: from the Proto-Brythonic *duβ (black), from Proto-Celtic *dubus (black), from Proto-Indo-European *dʰewbʰ- (black).

Expressions / Related words

  • duo - to blacken, darken, slander
  • y du bach - gunpowder
  • du bitsh - pitch black
  • du'r efail - smith-black, lamp-black; mourning
  • du'r llygad - iris, black of the eye
  • du ysgrifennu - ink
  • ar ddu a gwyn / mewn du a gwyn - in writing ("in black and white")
  • mewn du - in mourning, in black

More details of words for Black and related things in Celtic languages.


white gwyn [gwɨ̞n/gwɪn] - white, greyish white, pale; light, shining, bright; brilliant, white-hot; silver (of money); amber-coloured (of wine)

Note: gwyn is used with masculine nouns. The feminine form is gwen, and the plural is gwynion.

Etymology: from the Proto-Brythonic *gwɨnn (white), from Proto-Celtic *windos (white), from Proto-Indo-European *ḱweytos (bright; shine).

Expressions / Related words

  • gwynnu - to whiten, become white, bleach, blanch
  • gwynni - whiteness
  • gwyn wy / gwynnwi - white of an egg
  • ar y gwyn - light-coloured
  • cyn wynned â'r eira - as white as snow
  • trwy wyn y dydd / trwy'r dydd gwyn - all day long ("through with of the day")
  • gwyngoch - pink

More details of words for White and related things in Celtic languages.


red coch [kɔːχ] - red, ruddy, scarlet, bloody; ginger (hair); brown

Note: coch is used with singular nouns. The plural form is cochion.

Etymology: possibly from the Latin coccinus (scarlet)

Expressions / Related words

  • cochi - to make or become red, redden, brown, scorch; blush
  • cochi at y clustiau - to blush to the roots of the hair ("to redden to the ears")
  • cochi penwaig (ysgadan) - to smoke or cure herrings
  • cochi tir - to plough ("to redden the land")
  • cochiad - a reddening, a blusing
  • cochineb - redness, red colour, flush
  • cochddu - reddish-black, dark colour, russet, brown
  • coch golau - light red, pink

red rhudd [r̥ɨːð/r̥iːð] - red, ruddy, purplish, bay, tawny, brown; bloody; scorched

Etymology: from the Proto-Celtic *rowdos (red), from Proto-Indo-European *h₁rewdʰ- (red)

Expressions / Related words

  • rhuddgoch - red, crimson, purple, blood-red, bloody, ruddy, redish, rose-coloured, pink, brown, russet, tawny, auburn, ginger
  • aur rhudd - red gold (coin)
  • carw rhudd - red deer, stag
  • Môr R(h)udd - the Red Sea

More details of words for Red and related things in Celtic languages.


yellow melyn [ˈmɛlɨ̞n/ˈmɛlɪn/ˈmeːlɪn] - yellow, golden, yellow-haired, blond; light-bay (horse); sallow, livid, brown (skin, sugar)

Etymology: from the Middle Welsh melyn, from Proto-Celtic *melinos, from *meli (honey), from Proto-Indo-European *mélid (honey)

Expressions / Related words

  • melynu - to be or become yellow or golden; to make yellow or golden
  • melynwawr - yellow, gold-coloured, golden, tinged with yellow or gold
  • melyni - yellowness; jaundice
  • melyniad - a making yellow or golden, a yellowing
  • melyngoch - yellowish-red, reddish-yellow, orange, copper-coloured, amber, brick-red, auburn
  • melynddu - yellowish-brown, dark yellow, tawny, russet, roan, swarthy, dusky
  • melynwyn - pale or bright yellow, yellowish-white, straw-coloured, sallow, flaxen-haired

More details of words for Yellow & Gold and related things in Celtic languages.


blue green glas [ɡlɑːs] - blue, azure, sky-blue, greenish blue, sea-green

Etymology: from the Proto-Brythonic *glas (green, blue), from Proto-Celtic *glastos (green, blue), probably from Proto-Indo-European *ǵʰl̥h₃stós, from *ǵʰelh₃- (“green, yellow”).

Expressions / Related words

  • glasu - to pale, turn plae, turn grey (of hair); become bluish or livid; become dim
  • glas y wawr - grey dawn, break of day
  • glas (yr) India, glas o eind - indigo
  • glas mannog - dapple grey
  • glas morol - sea blue
  • glasgoch - blue tinged with red, purple, violet, puce

More details of Blue / Green / Grey-related words on Celtiadur


green gwyrdd [ɡwɨ̞rð/ɡwɪrð] - green, verdant, bluish green, pale (blue), grey; fresh, lively; grassy

Note: gwyrddd is used with masculine nouns. The feminine form is gwerdd, and the plural is gwyrddion.

Etymology: from the Latin viridis (green).

Expressions / Related words

  • gwyrddu - to become green, sprout; pale, make verdant
  • gwyrddlas - sea-green, dark green, leek-green
  • belt gwyrdd, belt werdd - green belt
  • delor gwyrdd - green woodpecker (Gecinus viridis)
  • papur gwyrdd - green paper

More details of words for Green & Verdant and related things in Celtic languages.


brown brown [brɔu̯n] - brown

Etymology: from the English brown

Expressions / Related words

  • bara brown - brown bread
  • siwgr brown - brown sugar

gwrm/gwrwm - brown, dark-brown, reddish, greyish-brown, dark-grey, dark, dusky, black, dark-blue, blue

Etymology: uncertain – possibly from a non-Indo-European substrate

Expressions / Related words

  • gwr(w)mder = blackness, duskiness, murkiness, mist
  • gwr(w)mdde = dark-blue, greyish-blue, swarthy, wearing mourning
  • gwr(w)mddu = dusky, blackish, black garment
  • gwr(w)mseirch, gwrymseirch = dark-blue armour or harness, horse-trappings, traces

More details of gwrm and other Blue / Black / Dark-related words on Celtiadur


brown gwinau [gwɨ̞naɨ/gwɪ̞nai] - bay, reddish brown, auburn, chestnut, dark red, olive, swarthy, dark

Etymology: from gwin (wine), from the Proto-Brythonic *gwin (wine), from late Proto-Celtic *wīnom (wine), from the Latin vīnum (wine, grapes, grapevine).

Expressions / Related words

  • ceffyl gwinau - bay (horse)
  • gwin gwinau - (?)amber wine

More details of words for Brown & Dun and related things in Celtic languages.


pink pinc [pɪŋk] - pink, carnation, spruce, dapper, neat, trim, smart, fine, pretty

Etymology: from the English pink

Expressions / Related words

  • pinc y liri - very smart
  • pinc y môr - thrift, sea pink (Armeria maritima)
  • pinc yr aden wen / bili binc - chaffinch (Fringilla cœlebs)
  • pinc y mynydd - brambling (Fringilla montifringilla)

orange oren [ˈɔrɛn] - orange

Etymology: from the English orange

Expressions / Related words

  • Urdd yr Orenwyr - the Orange Order

grey llwydd [ˈɬʊɨ̯d/ˈɬʊi̯d] - grey, faint; pale, pallied, wan; russet, brown; turbid, muddy (water)

Etymology: from the Proto-Brythonic *luïd, from Proto-Celtic *ɸlētos, from Proto-Indo-European *pel- ‎(gray).

Expressions / Related words

  • llwydaf / llwydo - to turn grey or brown, become turgid or muddy, turn pale, fade; grow old
  • llwydi - greyness; mouldiness, mould, mildew; being grey-haired
  • llwydwyn - greyish-white, silver-grey, pale grey, light grey, pale
  • llwytgoch - reddish brown, greyish red, rust-colour russet

More details of words for Gray and related things in Celtic languages.


purple porffor [ˈpɔrfɔr] - purple, puce, violet, red, crimson, scarlet

Etymology: from the Latin purpura (purple)

Expressions / Related words

  • porfforaidd = purplish
  • boneddiges borffor - purple emperor (Apatura iris)
  • lleuad borffor - purple moon, reddish or coppery moon said to portend frosty weather
  • pibydd porffor: - purple sandpiper (Calidris maritima)
  • porffora - to become purple or crimson
  • porfforanedig, a aned yn y porffor - born to the purple

purple piws [pɪu̯s] - puce, (reddish) purple

Etymology: from the English puce (purple), from the French couleur puce (flea-colored), from the Latin pūlex (flea).

Expressions / Related words

  • piwslyd = purplish
  • mynd yn biws (gan gynddaredd), troi'n biws (gan gynddaredd) - to get purple in the face (with anger)

More details of words for Purple in Celtic languages.


silver arian [arjan] - silver, silvery, money

Etymology: from the Middle Welsh ariant, from Old Welsh argant, from Proto-Brythonic *arɣant, from Proto-Celtic *arganto(m) (silver), from Proto-Indo-European *h₂erg- (to shine).

Expressions / Related words

  • ariannaidd - silvery
  • arian byw - quicksilver, mercury, lively person

More details of words for Silver & Money and related things in Celtic languages.


gold aur [aɨ̯r; ai̯r] - gold, gold money, wealth

Etymology: from the Latin aureus (golden)

Expressions / Related words

  • aurfelyn - golden yellow
  • aurenau; eurenau; - golden-mouthed, eloquent and wise of speech
  • aurdafod - golden tongue, eloquent and wise (utterance)
  • aurafal; eurafal - orange, lemon ("gold apple")
  • aurasgell - goldfinch

More details of words for Yellow & Gold and related things in Celtic languages.


Other colours

  • asur - azure
  • beis - beige
  • ehöeg - heather-coloured, purple; green (obsolete)
  • purgoch / fflamgoch - crimson
  • marwn - maroon
  • efydd - bronze
  • hufen - cream
  • magenta / majenta - magenta
  • piwswyn / porffor gwelw / porffor golau - mauve
  • ysgarlad - scarlet

Sources of etymologies
http://geiriadur.ac.uk/gpc/gpc.html/
https://geiriaduracademi.org/
https://en.wiktionary.org

Information about Welsh | Phrases (serious) | Phrases (silly) | Numbers | Family words | Terms of endearment | Colours | Time | Dates | Weather | Idioms | Proverbs | Tongue twisters | Songs | Tower of Babel | Coelbren y Beirdd (Bardic alphabet) | Braille for Welsh | Links | My podcast about Welsh | Comparison of Celtic languages | Celtic cognates | Celtiadur | Books about Welsh on: Amazon.com and Amazon.co.uk [affilate links]

Colours in Celtic languages

Breton, Cornish, Irish, Manx, Scottish Gaelic, Welsh

Colour words in other languages

[top]


Green Web Hosting - Kualo

You can support this site by Buying Me A Coffee, and if you like what you see on this page, you can use the buttons below to share it with people you know.

 

iVisa.com

If you like this site and find it useful, you can support it by making a donation via PayPal or Patreon, or by contributing in other ways. Omniglot is how I make my living.

 

Note: all links on this site to Amazon.com, Amazon.co.uk and Amazon.fr are affiliate links. This means I earn a commission if you click on any of them and buy something. So by clicking on these links you can help to support this site.

[top]

iVisa.com