eira
/ˈei̯ra/masculine
The Welsh word for snow is eira. Wiktionary also lists ôd.
Meaning: partly frozen, crystalline state of water that falls from the atmosphere as precipitation in flakes, falling of such flakes, accumulation of them as a white layer (noun)
Ways to say it
| Welsh | IPA | Note |
|---|---|---|
| eira | /ˈei̯ra/ | masculine |
| ôd | /oːd/ | literary, masculine |
The term refers to the crystalline state of frozen water that falls from the atmosphere, the process of it falling or the white layer that accumulates on the ground.
Which one should you use?
ôd is a literary or poetic alternative to the common word eira.
Related words
How does it change in a sentence?
The noun eira is masculine. To express the verb 'to snow' or 'it is snowing', use the phrase bwrw eira.
How do you pronounce it?
/ˈei̯ra/
Did you know?
- To say 'it is snowing', Welsh uses the verb bwrw, which literally means 'to throw'.
- Because ôd is a literary term, using it in a casual chat about a snowstorm might make you sound like a character from a medieval epic.
- The word eira is a linguistic relative of the Cornish word ergh and the Breton word erc’h.
Examples in context
- Sylweddolais ar bâr ffres o ôl-troed yn yr eira.I noticed a new set of footprints in the snow.This sentence shows how to use eira when talking about footprints in the snow.Tatoeba #10575008 by SteCymru14, translation #8893265 by CK
- Mae eira yn y gardd.There is snow in the garden.
- Mae llawer o eira ar y to.There is a lot of snow on the roof.
Example conversation
Dylan and Elowen are looking out the window at the weather.
- DylanEdrychwch ar yr eira!Look at the snow!
- ElowenMae'n edrych yn hyfrygol, Dylan.It looks lovely, Dylan.
- DylanA fedra ni fynd allan?Can we go outside?
- ElowenYdych chi anial a gwisgo geot.You must wear your coat.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “snow” translations and entries eira, ôd, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries eira, ôd, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
