Meanings
welsh1
present singular third person welshes · participle present welshing · participle past welshed · past welshed · alternative welch · alternative Welsh
- derogatoryoffensivesometimestransitiveTo go back on one's word.
1 more example
"He can weasel out if^([sic]) it." Ibanez massaged her knuckles. "He can say Couch welshed on a deal, and didn't show, and that's why Karen got got. It isn't conclusive. I have another thing I can lay on him, but even the two combined won't do. We need a third smoking gun if we're really gonna smoke this son of a bitch."
2023 September 28, HarryBlank, “Hooking Up”, in SCP Foundation, archived from the original on 25 May 2024
welsh2
comparative more welsh · superlative most welsh · alternative welch · alternative Welsh
- obsoleteForeign.
Welsh3
alternative archaic Welch
- not comparableOf or pertaining to the Celtic language of Wales.First known use 16ᵗʰc.
- not comparableDesignating plants or animals from or associated with Wales.First known use 17ᵗʰc.
plural Welshes · alternative archaic Welch
- countableuncountableA town in Louisiana, United States, named for early landowner Henry Welsh.
- countableuncountableAn unincorporated community in Ohio, United States, named for an early settler.
Synonyms & antonyms
nounThe people of Wales.
More synonyms by meaning
adjectiveof or relating to or characteristic of Wales or its people or their language
Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.
Origin
welsh · verb
Sometimes held to derive from disparaging stereotypes about the Welsh, though firm evidence of this derivation is lacking. Compare gyp (“swindle”), probably from Gypsy, and jew (“defraud”), from Jew.
Full word history & related roots →welsh · adjective
- Old Englishwelise
- Old Englishwelise
- Englishwelsh
Inherited from Old English welise (“foreign”).
More words from Old English
Full word history & related roots →Welsh · adjective, noun, proper noun
- Proto-Germanic*walhiskaz“Celt; later Roman”
- Proto-West Germanic*walhisk
- Old Englishwǣlisċ“Briton; Roman; Celt”
- Middle EnglishWalsch
- EnglishWelsh
From Middle English Walsch, Welische, from Anglian Old English wǣlisċ (“Briton; Roman; Celt”), from Proto-West Germanic *walhisk, from Proto-Germanic *walhiskaz (“Celt; later Roman”) (thus cognate with German welsch, Dutch Waals, Danish vælsk, Old Norse valskr), from *walhaz (“Celt, Roman”) (compare Old English wealh), from the name of the Gaulish tribe, the Volcae (recorded only in Latin contexts). This word was borrowed from Germanic into Slavic (compare Old Church Slavonic Влахъ (Vlaxŭ, “Vlachs, Romanians”), Medieval Greek Βλάχος (Blákhos)). Doublet of Vellish. Compare Walloon, walnut, Vlach, Walach, Gaul, Cornwall.
More words from Middle English, Old English, Proto-West Germanic
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Basque galestar, galestar
- galestarof or pertaining to Wales
- galestarof or pertaining to the Welsh language
- galestarcollectively, people of Wales
- galeseralanguage
Bulgarian уелски
- уелски (uelski)of or pertaining to Wales
Catalan gal·lès, gal·lesa
- gal·lèsof or pertaining to Wales
- gal·lesaof or pertaining to Wales
- gal·lèsof or pertaining to the Welsh language
- gal·lesaof or pertaining to the Welsh language
- gal·lesoscollectively, people of Wales
- gal·lèslanguage
Chinese Mandarin 威爾士的 /威尔士的, 威爾斯的 /威尔斯的
- 威爾士的 /威尔士的 (Wēi'ěrshì de)of or pertaining to Wales
- 威爾斯的 /威尔斯的 (Wēi'ěrsī de)of or pertaining to Wales
- 威爾士語的 /威尔士语的 (Wēi'ěrshìyǔ de)of or pertaining to the Welsh language
- 威爾斯語的 /威尔斯语的of or pertaining to the Welsh language
- 威尔士语的 (Wēi'ěrsìyǔ de)of or pertaining to the Welsh language
- 威爾士人 /威尔士人 (Wēi'ěrshìrén)collectively, people of Wales
- 威爾斯人 /威尔斯人 (Wēi'ěrsīrén)collectively, people of Wales
- 威爾士語 /威尔士语 (Wēi'ěrshìyǔ)language
- 威爾斯語 /威尔斯语 (Wēi'ěrsīyǔ)language
Czech velšský, velšský
- velšskýof or pertaining to Wales
- velšskýof or pertaining to the Welsh language
- Velšanécollectively, people of Wales
- velštinalanguage
- kymerštinalanguage
- kymričtinalanguage
- waleštinalanguage
Danish walisisk, walisisk
- walisiskof or pertaining to Wales
- walisiskof or pertaining to the Welsh language
- walisernecollectively, people of Wales
- walisisklanguage
Dutch Welsh, Wels
- Welshof or pertaining to Wales
- Welsof or pertaining to Wales
- Welshof or pertaining to the Welsh language
- Welsof or pertaining to the Welsh language
- Welshcollectively, people of Wales
- Welshlanguage
- Welslanguage
- Kymrischlanguage
Esperanto kimra, kimra
- kimraof or pertaining to Wales
- kimraof or pertaining to the Welsh language
- kimrojcollectively, people of Wales
- kimra lingvolanguage
Estonian Walesi, kõmri
- Walesiof or pertaining to Wales
- kõmriof or pertaining to Wales
- kõmriof or pertaining to the Welsh language
- kõmridcollectively, people of Wales
- kõmri keellanguage
Finnish walesilainen, Walesin
- walesilainenof or pertaining to Wales
- Walesinof or pertaining to Wales
- walesinkielinenof or pertaining to the Welsh language
- kymrinkielinenof or pertaining to the Welsh language
- walesilaisetcollectively, people of Wales
- waleslanguage
- walesin kielilanguage
- kymrilanguage
- kymrin kielilanguage
French gallois, gallois
- galloisof or pertaining to Wales
- galloisdesignating plants, animals, etc. from or associated with Wales
- galloisof or pertaining to the Welsh language
- Galloiscollectively, people of Wales
- galloislanguage
German walisisch, walisisch
- walisischof or pertaining to Wales
- walisischof or pertaining to the Welsh language
- Walisercollectively, people of Wales
- Walisischlanguage
- Kymrischlanguage
Hebrew ולשי, ולשי
- ולשי (wélshi)of or pertaining to Wales
- ולשי (wélshi)of or pertaining to the Welsh language
- ולשים (wélshim)collectively, people of Wales
- ולשית (wélshit)language
Hungarian walesi, velszi
- walesiof or pertaining to Wales
- velsziof or pertaining to Wales
- walesiof or pertaining to the Welsh language
- velsziof or pertaining to the Welsh language
- walesilanguage
- velszilanguage
Indonesian Wales
- Walesof or pertaining to Wales
Irish Breatnach, Breatnais
- Breatnachof or pertaining to Wales
- Breatnaislanguage
Italian gallese
- galleseof or pertaining to Wales
Japanese ウェールズ人, ウェールズ語
- ウェールズ人 (Wēruzu-jin)collectively, people of Wales
- ウェールズ語 (Wēruzugo)language
- カムリ語 (Kamurigo)language
Korean 웨일스인, 웨일스 사람
- 웨일스인 (weilseu'in)collectively, people of Wales
- 웨일스 사람 (weilseu saram)collectively, people of Wales
- 웨일스어 (weilseueo)language
Latin wallicus, cambriānus
- wallicusof or pertaining to Wales
- cambriānusof or pertaining to Wales
- cambricusof or pertaining to Wales
Norwegian Bokmål walisisk, bretsk
- walisiskof or pertaining to Wales
- bretskof or pertaining to Wales
- walisiskof or pertaining to the Welsh language
- waliserecollectively, people of Wales
- walisisklanguage
- velsklanguage
- kymrisklanguage
Persian ولزیها, ولزی
- ولزیها (velzi-hâ)collectively, people of Wales
- ولزی (velzi)language
Polish walijski, walijski
- walijskiof or pertaining to Wales
- walijskiof or pertaining to the Welsh language
- Walijczycycollectively, people of Wales
- język walijskilanguage
Portuguese galês, galesa
- galêsof or pertaining to Wales
- galesaof or pertaining to Wales
- galêsof or pertaining to the Welsh language
- galesaof or pertaining to the Welsh language
- galêscollectively, people of Wales
- galêslanguage
Romanian galez, galez
- galezof or pertaining to Wales
- galezof or pertaining to the Welsh language
- galezicollectively, people of Wales
- galezălanguage
Russian валли́йский, уэ́льский
- валли́йский (vallíjskij)of or pertaining to Wales
- уэ́льский (uélʹskij)of or pertaining to Wales
- валли́йский (vallíjskij)of or pertaining to the Welsh language
- валли́ец (vallíjec)collectively, people of Wales
- валли́йка (vallíjka)collectively, people of Wales
- валли́йцы (vallíjcy)collectively, people of Wales
- уэ́льсцы (uélʹscy)collectively, people of Wales
- валли́йский (vallíjskij)language
- валли́йский язы́к (vallíjskij jazýk)language
- уэ́льский (uélʹskij)language
Scottish Gaelic Cuimreach, Cuimreach
- Cuimreachof or pertaining to Wales
- Cuimreachof or pertaining to the Welsh language
- na Cuimrichcollectively, people of Wales
- Cuimrislanguage
Slovak Walešania, waleština
- Walešaniacollectively, people of Wales
- waleštinalanguage
- kymerčinalanguage
- kymričtinalanguage
Spanish galés, galés
- galésof or pertaining to Wales
- galésof or pertaining to the Welsh language
- galesescollectively, people of Wales
- galesascollectively, people of Wales
- galéslanguage
Swedish walesisk, kymrisk
- walesiskof or pertaining to Wales
- kymriskof or pertaining to Wales
- walesiskof or pertaining to the Welsh language
- kymriskof or pertaining to the Welsh language
- kymriskalanguage
- walesiskalanguage
- välskalanguage
Tagalog Gales, Gales
- Galesof or pertaining to Wales
- Galesof or pertaining to the Welsh language
Turkish Galliler, Galce
- Gallilercollectively, people of Wales
- Galcelanguage
Ukrainian валлі́йський, уе́льський
- валлі́йський (vallíjsʹkyj)of or pertaining to Wales
- уе́льський (uélʹsʹkyj)of or pertaining to Wales
- ве́льський (vélʹsʹkyj)of or pertaining to Wales
- валлійці (vallijci)collectively, people of Wales
- валі́йська (valíjsʹka)language
Urdu ویلش, کمری
- ویلش (vailś)of or pertaining to Wales
- کمری (kamrī)of or pertaining to the Welsh language
- ویلش (vailś)of or pertaining to the Welsh language
Welsh Cymreig, Cymraeg
- Cymreigof or pertaining to Wales
- Cymraegof or pertaining to the Welsh language
- Cymrycollectively, people of Wales
- Cymraeglanguage
Yiddish וועלש
- וועלש (velsh)of or pertaining to Wales
Rhymes & wordplay
Sounds the same
Cite this entry
welsh. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/welsh
“welsh.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/welsh. Accessed November 3, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “welsh,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/welsh.
Source: welsh on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.