brân

See also: bran, Bran, and brån

Welsh

Etymology

From Middle Welsh bran, from Proto-Brythonic *bran, from Proto-Celtic *branos, from Proto-Indo-European *werneh₂-.

Compare Tocharian B wrauña, Lithuanian várna, Polish wrona.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /braːn/
• Rhymes: -aːn

Noun

brân f (plural brain)

1. crow, bird of genus Corvus
   1. especially rook (Corvus frugilegus)

      Synonym: ydfran

   2. and raven (Corvus corax)

      Synonym: cigfran

2. crowbar
3. mouldboard (of plough)

   Synonym: chwelydr

4. ratchet bar (of cart)

Derived terms

• baglau brain (“spidery writing”)
• brân dyddyn, brân furgyn (“carrion crow”)
• brân fraith (“pied crow”)
• brân goesgoch, brân bicoch, brân Gernyw (“chough”)
• brân lwyd (“hooded crow”)
• brân wen (“white crow; rarity”)
• brân y goedwig (“large-billed crow”)
• brân y tai (“house crow”)
• bugeilio'r brain (“to herd cats”, literally “to herd crows”)
• bwbach brain, bwgan brain (“scarecrow”)
• cigfran (“raven”)
• crafanc y frân, troed y frân (“crowfoot, buttercup”)
• fel yr hed y frân (“as the crow flies”)
• ffrwythfrân (“fruitcrow”)
• gwyn y gwêl y frân ei chyw (“a parent does not see the faults of his or her own child”)
• llus y brain (“crowberries”)
• mwyar y brain (“bilberries”)
• traed brain (“mess; crow's feet”)
• ydfran, brân bigwen, cadfran (“rook”)

Mutation

Mutated forms of brân

radical	soft	nasal	aspirate
brân	frân	mrân	unchanged

Note: Certain mutated forms of some words can never occur in standard Welsh.
All possible mutated forms are displayed for convenience.

Further reading

• D. G. Lewis, N. Lewis, editors (2005–present), “brân”, in Gweiadur: the Welsh–English Dictionary, Gwerin
• R. J. Thomas, G. A. Bevan, P. J. Donovan, A. Hawke et al., editors (1950–present), “brân”, in Geiriadur Prifysgol Cymru Online (in Welsh), University of Wales Centre for Advanced Welsh & Celtic Studies

West Frisian

Etymology

From Old Frisian brand, from Proto-West Germanic *brand.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈbrɔːn/

Noun

brân c (plural brannen, diminutive brantsje)

1. fire, occurrence of fire

Further reading

• “brân (I)”, in Wurdboek fan de Fryske taal (in Dutch), 2011