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gwell. In DICTIOUS you will not only get to know all the dictionary meanings for the word
gwell, but we will also tell you about its etymology, its characteristics and you will know how to say
gwell in singular and plural. Everything you need to know about the word
gwell you have here. The definition of the word
gwell will help you to be more precise and correct when speaking or writing your texts. Knowing the definition of
gwell, as well as those of other words, enriches your vocabulary and provides you with more and better linguistic resources.
Welsh
Etymology
Inherited from Proto-Celtic *wellos, from Proto-Indo-European *welh₁- (“choose, want”).
Pronunciation
Adjective
gwell
- comparative degree of da: better
Adverb
gwell
- Prefer
Mae well 'da fi ddawnsio na chanu (South)- I prefer to dance than sing
- (literally, “It is better with me to dance than to sing”)
Mae well gen i de na choffi (North)- I prefer tea to coffee
- (literally, “Tea is better with me than coffee”)
- Had better
Well i chi beidio- you had better not
- (literally, “ better to you not to”)
Usage notes
- When used to mean 'prefer', gwell is combined with the possessive construction (literally "it is better with me"). When used to mean 'had better', it is linked to its subject by i (literally "it is better for me"). In both cases it is almost always followed by the soft mutation.
Derived terms
See also
Mutation
References
- R. J. Thomas, G. A. Bevan, P. J. Donovan, A. Hawke et al., editors (1950–present), “gwell”, in Geiriadur Prifysgol Cymru Online (in Welsh), University of Wales Centre for Advanced Welsh & Celtic Studies