gafael

Welsh

Etymology

From Middle Welsh gauael, from Proto-Brythonic *gaβaɨl, from Proto-Celtic *gabaglā (compare Cornish gavel, Old Breton gabael, Old Irish gabál), verbal noun of *gabyeti (“to take, hold”) (compare Old Irish gaibid), from Proto-Indo-European *gʰh₁bʰ- (compare Latin habeō, German geben).

Pronunciation

• (North Wales, standard) IPA^(key): /ˈɡavaɨ̯l/
  • (North Wales, colloquial) IPA^(key): /ˈɡavɛl/, /ˈɡaval/
• (South Wales, standard) IPA^(key): /ˈɡaːvai̯l/, /ˈɡavai̯l/
  • (South Wales, colloquial) IPA^(key): /ˈɡaːvɛl/, /ˈɡavɛl/

Verb

gafael (first-person singular present gafaelaf)

1. to hold
2. to grasp, grip

Conjugation

Conjugation (literary)

	singular			plural			impersonal
	first	second	third	first	second	third
present indicative/future	gafaelaf	gafaeli	gafael, gafaela	gafaelwn	gafaelwch	gafaelant	gafaelir
imperfect (indicative/subjunctive)/ conditional	gafaelwn	gafaelit	gafaelai	gafaelem	gafaelech	gafaelent	gafaelid
preterite	gafaelais	gafaelaist	gafaelodd	gafaelasom	gafaelasoch	gafaelasant	gafaelwyd
pluperfect	gafaelaswn	gafaelasit	gafaelasai	gafaelasem	gafaelasech	gafaelasent	gafaelasid, gafaelesid
present subjunctive	gafaelwyf	gafaelych	gafaelo	gafaelom	gafaeloch	gafaelont	gafaeler
imperative	—	gafael	gafaeled	gafaelwn	gafaelwch	gafaelent	gafaeler
verbal noun	gafael
verbal adjectives	gafaeledig gafaeladwy

Conjugation (colloquial)

inflected colloquial forms	singular			plural
	first	second	third	first	second	third
future	gafaela i, gafaelaf i	gafaeli di	gafaelith o/e/hi, gafaeliff e/hi	gafaelwn ni	gafaelwch chi	gafaelan nhw
conditional	gafaelwn i, gafaelswn i	gafaelet ti, gafaelset ti	gafaelai fo/fe/hi, gafaelsai fo/fe/hi	gafaelen ni, gafaelsen ni	gafaelech chi, gafaelsech chi	gafaelen nhw, gafaelsen nhw
preterite	gafaelais i, gafaeles i	gafaelaist ti, gafaelest ti	gafaelodd o/e/hi	gafaelon ni	gafaeloch chi	gafaelon nhw
imperative	—	gafaela	—	—	gafaelwch	—

Note: All other forms are periphrastic, as usual in colloquial Welsh.

Derived terms

• gafaelgar (“gripping, captivating, catchy”)

Related terms

• gefel

Mutation

Mutated forms of gafael

radical	soft	nasal	aspirate
gafael	afael	ngafael	unchanged

Note: Certain mutated forms of some words can never occur in standard Welsh.
All possible mutated forms are displayed for convenience.

Further reading

• R. J. Thomas, G. A. Bevan, P. J. Donovan, A. Hawke et al., editors (1950–present), “gafael”, in Geiriadur Prifysgol Cymru Online (in Welsh), University of Wales Centre for Advanced Welsh & Celtic Studies