Pontypridd

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A town in the Rhondda Cynon Taf area of south Wales, situated where the Rhondda and Taff valleys meet
2. A former coal-mining community in south Wales, lying in the valleys north of Cardiff at the confluence of two rivers
3. A place name for a town in the valleys of south Wales, known for its industrial past and its location near Pontypridd's river junction

Etymology: Pontypridd is a Welsh compound that means "bridge of the earth." "Pont" is "bridge," "y" is "the," and "pridd" is "earth" or "soil." The name was given to the place, a town where the River Taff and the River Rhondda meet, after a bridge that crossed the river there. The name is written with hyphens in older usage ("Pont-y-pridd") and as one word today. Its Welsh form keeps the definite article "y," which English-speaking visitors often drop, but it is part of the original name.