diolch

Welsh

Etymology

From Middle Welsh diolwch, from di- (“from, of”) + iolwch (“grateful praise”), from ioli (“to praise”), from Proto-Brythonic *jọl, from Proto-Celtic *yālos (“prayer, worship”).

An alternative etymology connecting it with Old Irish ad·tluchedar (“to give thanks”) (from Proto-Indo-European *telkʷ- (“to speak”)) is semantically satisfying but phonologically implausible.

Pronunciation

• (standard, colloquial) IPA^(key): /ˈdiː.ɔlχ/
  • (interjection): (colloquial) IPA^(key): /djɔlχ/, /d͡ʒɔlχ/, /d͡ʒɔχ/

Noun

diolch m (plural diolchiadau)

1. thanks

Verb

diolch (first-person singular present diolchaf)

1. to thank [with i ‘someone’] [with am ‘for something’]

Usage notes

As with other nouns such as dewis (“choice”), elw (“profit”), lles (“benefit”) and rhagor (“more (of a countable quantity)”), there is a derived comparative adjective: diolchach. However, no equative or superlative forms exist.

Conjugation

Conjugation of diolch (literary)

	singular			plural			impersonal
	first	second	third	first	second	third
present indicative/future	diolchaf	diolchi	diolch, diolcha	diolchwn	diolchwch	diolchant	diolchir
imperfect (indicative/subjunctive)/ conditional	diolchwn	diolchit	diolchai	diolchem	diolchech	diolchent	diolchid
preterite	diolchais	diolchaist	diolchodd	diolchasom	diolchasoch	diolchasant	diolchwyd
pluperfect	diolchaswn	diolchasit	diolchasai	diolchasem	diolchasech	diolchasent	diolchasid, diolchesid
present subjunctive	diolchwyf	diolchych	diolcho	diolchom	diolchoch	diolchont	diolcher
imperative	—	diolcha	diolched	diolchwn	diolchwch	diolchent	diolcher
verbal noun	diolch
verbal adjectives	—

Conjugation of diolch (colloquial)

inflected colloquial forms	singular			plural
	first	second	third	first	second	third
future	diolcha i, diolchaf i	diolchi di	diolchith o/e/hi, diolchiff e/hi	diolchwn ni	diolchwch chi	diolchan nhw
conditional	diolchwn i, diolchswn i	diolchet ti, diolchset ti	diolchai fo/fe/hi, diolchsai fo/fe/hi	diolchen ni, diolchsen ni	diolchech chi, diolchsech chi	diolchen nhw, diolchsen nhw
preterite	diolchais i, diolches i	diolchaist ti, diolchest ti	diolchodd o/e/hi	diolchon ni	diolchoch chi	diolchon nhw
imperative	—	diolcha	—	—	diolchwch	—

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

• Obsolete form of third-person singular present/future: diylch

Derived terms

• diolch am
• diolch byth
• diolch i
• diolchach (“more grateful”)
• diolchgar (“thankful”)
• diolchgarwch (“thankfulness”)

Interjection

diolch

1. thanks, thank you

Derived terms

• diolch yn fawr
• diolch yn fawr iawn

Mutation

Mutated forms of diolch

radical	soft	nasal	aspirate
diolch	ddiolch	niolch	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), “diolch”, in Gweiadur: the Welsh–English Dictionary, Gwerin