cymry

cymry — noun

1. the people of Wales, especially when referred to by the Welsh name they use for

1.nounC2
Definition

the people of Wales, especially when referred to by the Welsh name they use for themselves

Example

The Cymry kept their language alive through centuries of outside rule.

the + Cymry as a plural people name

A museum map showed where the Cymry settled after the Roman period.

Common collocations
  • the Cymry
  • medieval Cymry
  • ancient Cymry
  • Cymry and other Celtic peoples
Synonyms
  • the Welsh

    the usual everyday English expression; Cymry stresses the Welsh self-name

  • Welsh people

    clear neutral phrase in ordinary modern English

Grammar Patterns

the Cymry

Usage Note

Usually treated as a plural noun in English and often written as 'the Cymry'. Most English readers meet it in historical, literary, or cultural writing rather than everyday speech.

Common Mistakes

Cymry is proud of its language.
The Cymry are proud of their language.
the word refers to a people as a group and normally takes a plural verb in English.

Word family

  • Cymro
    nounC2
  • Cymraes
    nounC2
  • Cymru
    nounC2
  • Welsh
    adjectiveA2

Synonym discussion

Sense: noun/1

Cymry, the Welsh, and Welsh people can all refer to the people of Wales, but they are used in different ways. The Welsh is the normal everyday English expression. Welsh people is the clearest neutral phrase when you want plain modern wording. Cymry is the Welsh name for the people themselves, so it often appears in writing that wants to stress Welsh identity, history, or language. Cymro names one Welsh man, while Cymraes names one Welsh woman, but both are rarer in English than Welsh man and Welsh woman. A historian may write about the Cymry of the early Middle Ages, while a news report would more naturally say the Welsh people.

Cymry ↗the WelshWelsh peopleCymroCymraes

Etymology

BrittonicWelshEnglish

Cymry comes into English from Welsh, where it is the plural word used for the Welsh people themselves. It is related to Cymru, the Welsh name for Wales, and goes back to an older Brittonic idea meaning fellow countrymen or people of the same land. In English, the word is mostly kept for historical, cultural, or identity-focused writing rather than ordinary everyday use.