crwth

See also: Crwth

English

WOTD – 23 January 2008
A crwth

Alternative forms

Etymology

From earlier crowd, from Middle English crowde, reinforced by and cognate to Welsh crwth; ultimately from Proto-Celtic *kruttos (round thing).

Pronunciation

Noun

crwth (plural crwths)

  1. (historical) An archaic stringed instrument associated particularly with Wales, though once played widely in Europe, and characterized by a vaulted back and enough space for the player to stop each of the six strings on the fingerboard. Played variously by plucking or bowing.
    • 1895, John Frederick Rowbotham, The Troubadours and Courts of Love:
      We find in one period crwths, with the strings twanged with the right hand, and stopped above with the left, being held as we hold a violoncello to-day, but being small, on the lap.

Synonyms

Derived terms

Translations

See also

  • Appendix:Glossary of chordophones

References

Welsh

Etymology

From Middle Welsh crwth, from Proto-Brythonic *kruθ, from Proto-Celtic *kruttos (round thing), perhaps related to Latvian krūtis (breast, bust), from Proto-Indo-European *krū̆t; but it could instead be loaned from a non-Indo-European substrate.[1][2] Possibly related to Proto-Celtic *krundis (round).[3] Compare Old Irish crott (harp, lute).

Pronunciation

  • IPA(key): /kruːθ/

Noun

crwth m (plural crythau)

  1. (music) crwth; fiddle, violin, viol
  2. purring (of a cat)
  3. hump, hunch on the back, convexity; hunchback; hunchbacked, rounded, bent, convex
  4. anything of round or bulging shape, especially a vessel, basket, box

Mutation

Welsh mutation
radical soft nasal aspirate
crwth grwth nghrwth chrwth
Note: Some of these forms may be hypothetical. Not every possible mutated form of every word actually occurs.

References

  1. Pokorny, Julius (1959) chapter 1642, in Indogermanisches etymologisches Wörterbuch [Indo-European Etymological Dictionary] (in German), volume 3, Bern, München: Francke Verlag, page 1642
  2. Matasović, Ranko (2009) “krutto”, in Etymological Dictionary of Proto-Celtic (Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series; 9), Leiden: Brill, →ISBN, page 228
  3. MacBain, Alexander, Mackay, Eneas (1911) “crwth”, in An Etymological Dictionary of the Gaelic Language, Stirling, →ISBN, page cruit

Further reading

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