hiraeth

Welsh

Etymology

From Proto-Brythonic *hiraɨθ, from Proto-Celtic *sīr-axto-, akin to Gaulish siraxta (“longing”).

Pronunciation

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Noun

hiraeth m (uncountable)

  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

Hiraeth is a difficult word to translate precisely. It, the Cornish hireth and the Breton hiraezh are said to be the only exact equivalents of the Portuguese saudade [1].

  • hiraethu

References

  1. ↑ Williams, Robert. Lexicon Cornu-britannicum. pg.217
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