Glaw

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. The Welsh word for rain, the water that falls from clouds in drops
2. In the Welsh language, a noun meaning precipitation in the form of falling water droplets
3. A Welsh term for rainfall, used to describe water descending from the sky as drops

Etymology: Welsh "glaw" means "rain," and it belongs to the Brythonic branch of the Celtic languages, which Welsh shares with Cornish and Breton. Its ancestor is reconstructed as Proto-Celtic "*glawos" or a closely related form, meaning "wet" or "rain," and it is cognate with words in other Celtic tongues, including Irish "fras"? No, that is not a match; the reliable comparison is with Old Irish "glé," meaning "clear," and it is wise not to push the connection further than the evidence allows. The word's ancestor is often traced to a root meaning "wet" or "moisture," which is the sense that shows up most clearly in the older Brythonic forms. Over time the noun settled on the specific meaning of falling water, so "glaw" now names the weather itself rather than dampness in general. Welsh speakers still use it in everyday phrases such as "mae hi'n bwrw glaw," meaning "it is raining."