Iechyd da! Ten new Welsh terms have been added to the Oxford English Dictionary.
Iechyd da (meaning good health, the Welsh equivalent of ‘cheers’) is one of the new Welsh words to now feature in the famous printed lexicon of the English language, along with an eclectic sprinkling of other Welsh terms ranging from sglods (chips) to twp (an idiotic person).
The words have been added to the dictionary to reflect the "deep-rooted influence" of the Welsh language on the English spoken in Wales, according to Oxford Languages, the organisation behind the dictionary.
First published in 1884 (then under the title A New English Dictionary on Historical Principles), the Oxford English Dictionary is the premier authority on the English language, and is updated four times a year.
According to the BBC, the new Welsh words were chosen by the dictionary because of their use in "different sources" of English writing seen over a "reasonable period of time". With the dictionary stating that the terms can be routinely heard in "the everyday speech of people in Wales”.
The remaining terms added in this recent update are: mamgu (grandmother) tadcu (grandfather), taid (the North Wales equivalent of tadcu) and cawl (a delicious soup that serves as one of our national dishes). There’s also Calennig (a gift given by children as part of a Welsh New Year’s tradition), Senedd (the name of the Welsh parliament) and the wonderfully evocative expression ych a fi! (used to emphasise disgust or disdain).
Though this represents a significant boost to Welsh terminology in the iconic tome, these are far from the first Welsh language words to grace the hallowed book’s pages, with terms like cariad (a Welsh term for a lover) and hiraeth (a unique feeling of homesickness) added in 2006 and 2020 respectively.
Learn more about Cymraeg (the Welsh language) and why it’s so important to Welsh identity.