hireth

Cornish

Etymology

From Proto-Brythonic *hiraɨθ, from Proto-Celtic *sīraxto-, akin to Gaulish siraxta (“longing”). Cognate with Welsh hiraeth.

Pronunciation

• (Revived Late Cornish) IPA^(key): /ˈhɪrɛθ/

Noun

hireth f (plural hirethow)

1. homesickness for a home to which you cannot return, or for a home which may have never been
2. an intense form of longing or nostalgia, wistfulness
3. the grief for the lost places of your past

Usage notes

Hireth is a difficult word to translate precisely. It, the Welsh hiraeth and the Breton hiraezh are said to be the only exact equivalents of the Portuguese saudade.