cadw

Middle Welsh

Etymology

Apparently from Proto-Celtic *katweti, of uncertain origin. Morris Jones takes it back to a putative Proto-Indo-European root *kat- (“to protect”). This root is more commonly reconstructed *kadʰ- (including by Thomas et al.) to account for the d of Old English hōd (“hood”) and Old Saxon hōdian (“to guard, defend”), but that reconstruction can no longer account for the t of the Celtic root.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /kadw/

Verb

cadw

1. to keep

   For quotations using this term, see Citations:cadw.

Conjugation

Inflection of cadw / kedwi / catwyt

	singular			plural			impersonal
	first	second	third	first	second	third
present indicative	cadwaf	kedwy	keidw	cadwn / cadwwn	kedwch / kedywch	cadwant	kedwir
imperfect indicative	cadwn / cadwwn	cadwut	cadwei	cadwem	cadwewch	kedwynt	kedwit
preterite	kedweis	kedweist	kedwis	cadwassom	cadwassawch	cadwassant	cadwyt
pluperfect	cadwasswn	cadwassut	cadwassei	cadwassem	cadwassewch	cadwassynt	cadwassit
present subjunctive	cattwyf	kettwych	cattwo	cattwom	cattwoch	cattwont	cattwer
imperfect subjunctive	cattwn / cattwwn	cattwut	cattwei	cattwem	cattwewch	kettwynt	kettwit
imperative	—	cadw	kedwid	cadwn / cadwwn	kedwch / kedywch	cadwent	cadwer
verbal noun	cadw / kedwi / catwyt
verbal adjectives	cadwedic
	cadwadwy

Mutation

Mutated forms of cadw

radical	soft	nasal	aspirate
cadw	gadw	cadw / chadw pronounced with /ŋ̊-/	chadw

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

Welsh

Etymology

From Middle Welsh cadw.

Pronunciation

• (North Wales) IPA^(key): /ˈkadʊ/
• (South Wales) IPA^(key): /ˈka(ː)du/
• Rhymes: -adʊ

Verb

cadw (first-person singular present cadwaf)

1. to keep
2. to book (reserve)
3. (computing) to save

Conjugation

Conjugation of cadw (literary)

	singular			plural			impersonal
	first	second	third	first	second	third
present indicative/future	cadwaf	cedwi	ceidw	cadwn	cedwch	cadwant	cedwir
imperfect (indicative/subjunctive)/conditional	cadwn	cadwit	cadwai	cadwem	cadwech	cadwent	cedwid
preterite	cedwais	cedwaist	cadwodd	cadwasom	cadwasoch	cadwasant	cadwyd
pluperfect	cadwaswn	cadwasit	cadwasai	cadwasem	cadwasech	cadwasent	cadwasid, cadwesid
present subjunctive	cadwyf	cedwych	cadwo	cadwom	cadwoch	cadwont	cadwer
imperative	—	cadw, cadwa	cadwed	cadwn	cedwch	cadwent	cadwer
verbal noun	cadw
verbal adjectives	cadwedig cadwadwy

Conjugation of cadw (colloquial)

inflected colloquial forms	singular			plural
	first	second	third	first	second	third
future	cadwa i, cadwaf i	cadwi di	cadwith o/e/hi, cadwiff e/hi	cadwn ni	cadwch chi	cadwan nhw
conditional	cadwn i, cadwswn i	cadwet ti, cadwset ti	cadwai fo/fe/hi, cadwsai fo/fe/hi	cadwen ni, cadwsen ni	cadwech chi, cadwsech chi	cadwen nhw, cadwsen nhw
preterite	cadwais i, cadwes i	cadwaist ti, cadwest ti	cadwodd o/e/hi	cadwon ni	cadwoch chi	cadwon nhw
imperative	—	cadwa	—	—	cadwch	—

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

• Alternative third-person singular subjunctive (literary): cato

Derived terms

• cadw draenog yn boced un (“to be tightfisted, mean with money”, literally “to keep a hedgehog in one's pocket”)
• cadw draw (“to keep away”)
• cadw-mi-gei (“money box”)
• cadwraeth (“conservation”)
• ceidwad (“keeper”)
• gwarchod (“to guard”)

Mutation

Mutated forms of cadw

radical	soft	nasal	aspirate
cadw	gadw	nghadw	chadw

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), “cadwaf”, in Geiriadur Prifysgol Cymru Online (in Welsh), University of Wales Centre for Advanced Welsh & Celtic Studies