gwirion

Welsh

Etymology

gwir (“true”) +‎ iawn (“very”). The semantic shift from "pure, innocent" > "silly, daft" has parallels to that seen in English nice ("silly" > "pleasant"). Cognate with Breton gwirion.

Pronunciation

  • IPA(key): /ˈɡwɪrjɔn/

Adjective

gwirion (feminine singular gwirion, plural gwirion, equative mor wirion, comparative mwy gwirion, superlative mwyaf gwirion)

  1. silly, daft, foolish
  2. pure, innocent, blameless

Mutation

Mutated forms of gwirion
radical soft nasal aspirate
gwirion wirion ngwirion unchanged

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), “gwirion”, in Geiriadur Prifysgol Cymru Online (in Welsh), University of Wales Centre for Advanced Welsh & Celtic Studies
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