wales

IPA/weɪlz/
KK[wˈelz]IPA/weɪlz/

wales — noun

1. a country occupying the western side of Great Britain, forming one of the four n

1.nounA2
Definition

a country occupying the western side of Great Britain, forming one of the four nations that make up the UK alongside England, Scotland, and Northern Ireland, with Cardiff as its capital city, a distinct Celtic heritage, and a native language called Welsh

Example

Dewi grew up in a small village in northern Wales near the coast.

prepositional phrase: in northern Wales

The train from London to Cardiff, the capital of Wales, takes about two hours.

identifying the capital city of a country

Common collocations
  • live in Wales
  • move to Wales
  • visit Wales
  • from Wales
  • north / south / west / east Wales
  • the people of Wales
  • the history of Wales
  • the coast of Wales
Synonyms
  • Cymru

    the Welsh-language name for Wales; used in Welsh contexts or by Welsh speakers

Usage Note

Wales is a proper noun and always takes a capital letter. When referring to the people of Wales, use 'the Welsh' (e.g., 'The Welsh are known for their love of poetry and music'). Do not use 'Wales' as an adjective — use 'Welsh' instead (e.g., 'Welsh culture', not 'Wales culture').

Common Mistakes

I visited Wales culture last summer.
I visited Welsh culture last summer.
use the adjective 'Welsh', not the noun 'Wales', before another noun.
He is a Wales.
He is Welsh.
use 'Welsh' to describe a person from Wales.

Word family

  • Welsh
    adjectiveA2
  • Welsh
    nounB1
  • Welshman
    nounB1
  • Welshwoman
    nounB1

Synonym discussion

Sense: noun/1

Wales, Scotland, England, and Northern Ireland are the four countries that together form the United Kingdom. Wales is the only one with a fully bilingual culture where both English and a native Celtic language (Welsh, or Cymraeg) have official status. Scotland has its own legal and education systems distinct from England's, while Northern Ireland shares a land border with the Republic of Ireland. England is the largest by population and contains the UK capital, London. A learner might say 'I visited Wales last summer' or 'Her family is from Scotland, but she lives in England now.' The safest general term for the whole group is 'the UK' or 'Britain' when referring to the island, and 'the British Isles' for the wider geographical area.

Wales ↗Scotland ↗England ↗Northern Ireland

Common collocations

Nouns

Phrases

  • part of Wales
  • north / south / west / east Wales
  • the people of Wales

Prepositions

Etymology

Old EnglishMiddle EnglishEnglish

The name 'Wales' comes from the Old English word 'Wēalas', which originally meant 'foreigners' or 'strangers' — the term Anglo-Saxon settlers used for the Celtic-speaking people they encountered in the western part of Britain. Over time, the name came to refer specifically to the land those people lived in. The Welsh name for their own country, 'Cymru', means 'fellow countrymen' and comes from the Brythonic Celtic language that developed into modern Welsh.