ysu

Welsh

Etymology

From Proto-Celtic *essi, from Proto-Indo-European *h₁ed- (“to eat”). Cognate with Old Irish ·estar, present subjunctive form of ithid (“to eat”).

Pronunciation

• (North Wales) IPA^(key): /ˈəsɨ̞/
• (South Wales) IPA^(key): /ˈəsi/
• Rhymes: -əsɨ̞
• Homophone: ysi (South Wales)

Verb

ysu (first-person singular present ysaf)

1. to consume, devour
2. to erode, corrode
3. to yearn, hanker
4. to itch

Conjugation

Conjugation of ysu (literary)

	singular			plural			impersonal
	first	second	third	first	second	third
present indicative/future	ysaf	ysi	ysa	yswn	yswch	ysant	ysir
imperfect (indicative/subjunctive)/ conditional	yswn	ysit	ysai	ysem	ysech	ysent	ysid
preterite	ysais	ysaist	ysodd	ysasom	ysasoch	ysasant	yswyd
pluperfect	ysaswn	ysasit	ysasai	ysasem	ysasech	ysasent	ysasid, ysesid
present subjunctive	yswyf	ysych	yso	ysom	ysoch	ysont	yser
imperative	—	ysa	ysed	yswn	yswch	ysent	yser
verbal noun	ysu
verbal adjectives	ysedig ysadwy

Conjugation of ysu (colloquial)

inflected colloquial forms	singular			plural
	first	second	third	first	second	third
future	ysa i, ysaf i	ysi di	ysith o/e/hi, ysiff e/hi	yswn ni	yswch chi	ysan nhw
conditional	yswn i, ysswn i	yset ti, ysset ti	ysai fo/fe/hi, yssai fo/fe/hi	ysen ni, yssen ni	ysech chi, yssech chi	ysen nhw, yssen nhw
preterite	ysais i, yses i	ysaist ti, ysest ti	ysodd o/e/hi	yson ni	ysoch chi	yson nhw
imperative	—	ysa	—	—	yswch	—

Note: All other forms are periphrastic, as usual in colloquial Welsh.

Derived terms

• ysfa (“an itch”)
• ysol (“devouring, consuming”)
• ysor (“devourer, consumer”)
• ysydd (“devourer, consumer”)

Mutation

Mutated forms of ysu

radical	soft	nasal	h-prothesis
ysu	unchanged	unchanged	hysu

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

Further reading

• R. J. Thomas, G. A. Bevan, P. J. Donovan, A. Hawke et al., editors (1950–present), “ysaf”, in Geiriadur Prifysgol Cymru Online (in Welsh), University of Wales Centre for Advanced Welsh & Celtic Studies