paith

Welsh

Etymology

According to the GPC, a corruption from earlier diffaith (“derelict, desolate”), itself a borrowing from Latin defectus (“emptiness, absence”). The evolution of the initial consonant remains unclear; perhaps from f to p through an intermediary b. Compare the second element of gobaith (“trust, hope”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /pai̯θ/

Noun

paith m (plural peithiau)

1. desert, wilderness
2. pampas, plain

   Synonyms: peithdir, gwastatir

Derived terms

• brân-paith Stresemann (“Stresemann's bush crow”)
• bras paith (“savannah sparrow”)
• bresych y paith (“steppe cabbage”)
• cigydd Mawr y paith (“steppe grey shrike”)
• coeg-hocys y paith (“prairie mallow”)
• cordwellt y paith (“prairie cordgrass”)
• cwtiad paith (“prairie plover”)
• grugiar paith (“mountain chicken”)
• gwatwarwr y paith (“Patagonian mockingbird”)
• hebog paith (“prairie falcon”)
• peithwellt (“pampas grass”)
• rhedwr bach y paith (“band-tailed earthcreeper”)
• rhosyn y paith (“prairie rose”)
• telor y paith (“prairire warbler”)
• (Patagonia) ysgyfarnog y paith (“Patagonian mara”)

Mutation

Mutated forms of paith

radical	soft	nasal	aspirate
paith	baith	mhaith	phaith

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