Chapter IV — The Noun
§ 1 The Formation of Nouns
Nouns are either primitive or derived. Primitive nouns have no special terminations to distinguish them from other words. Derived nouns, chiefly abstract, are formed from adjectives, verbs, or other nouns. There are also verbal nouns which have the form of the infinitive of verbs.
1. Nouns are derived from adjectives and occasionally from nouns and verbs, by adding der or ter. Thus:—
dader, goodness, from da, good.
gwîrder, truth, from gwîr, true.
gwander, weakness, from gwan or gwadn, weak.
golowder, brightness, from golow, light.
tekter, beauty, from teg, beautiful.
whekter, sweetness, from wheg, sweet.
îthekter, horror, from îthek, horrible.
melder, sweetness (to taste), from mel, honey.
yender, coldness, from yên or yein, cold.
splander, brightness, splendour, from splan, bright.
tewlder, darkness, from tewal, dark.
tewder, thickness, from tew, thick.
tanowder, thinness, from tanow, thin.
powsder, heaviness, from pows, heavy.
scavder, lightness (of weight), from scav, light.
medhalder, softness, from medhal, soft.
glanithder, cleanness, from glanith, clean.
mǒgilder, warmth, from mǒgil, warm.
tǒmder, heat, from tǒm (or tǔbm), hot.
downder, depth, from down, deep.
sehter (or zehar), drought, from segh, dry.
ewhelder, height, from ewhel, high.
crevder, strength, from crev, strong.
Some adjectives ending in s revert to an original t in this formation. Thus:—
calletter, hardness, from cales, hard.
goscotter, shelter, from goskes, sheltering.
ponvotter, trouble, from ponvos, trouble.
It will be seen that this der or ter answers to the English termination ness, and may be added to almost any adjective to form the corresponding abstract noun.
2. Abstract nouns are derived from other nouns or adjectives by the addition of eth or neth.
gwiryoneth, truth, from gwiryon, truthful.
cosoleth, rest, peace, from cǒsel, quiet.
skîantoleth, wisdom, from skîantol, wise.
folneth, folly, from fol, a fool.
materneth, royalty, from matern, a king.
gokeneth, stupidity, from goky, a fool.
mescogneth, 76 madness, from mescok, a madman.
gowegneth, falsehood, from gowek, a liar.
roweth, bounty, from ro, a gift.
This termination answers more or less to the Latin itas or English ity.
3. Abstract nouns are derived from verbs by the addition of ans. Thus:—
crejyans, belief, from cresy (or crejy), to believe.
givyans, forgiveness, from gava, to forgive.
deskyans, learning, from desky, to learn.
disqwedhyans, discovery, from disqwedhas, to discover.
gordhyans (gorryans), glory, from gordhya (gorrya), to worship.
bownans, life, from bewa, to live.
marnans, death, from marwel or merwel, to die.
selwans, salvation, from selwel, to save.
tristyans, sadness, from trist, sad.
tibyans, thought, from tibya, to think.
This termination answers to the Latin antia or entia, and the English ance or ence. It is generally added to the root of the verb.
4. Nouns signifying agents or doers are derived from other nouns, adjectives, and verbs by the addition of or, er, ar, or yas (earlier iad or iat).
tŷor, a tiler, from tŷ, to cover.
pestrior, a wizard, from pestry, magic.
pescajor, a fisherman, from pescas, plur. of pesk, fish.
cosǒlyer, a counsellor, from cǒsǒl, counsel.
revader or revajor, a rower, from rev, an oar.
trǒccyer, a fuller.
lyuyar, a dyer, from, lyu, colour.
gwîadar, a weaver, from gwîa, to weave.
bǒnkyer, a cooper, from bǒnk, a blow.
ǒmdowlar, a wrestler, from ǒmdowla, to wrestle.
gǒnnador or gonajor, a sower, from gǒnas, to sow or plant.
mijar, a reaper, from mijy, to reap.
stênor, a tinner, from stên, tin.
selwyas, a saviour, from selwel, to save.
gwithyas (also gwithyor), a guardian, from gwithya, to keep.
kernyas, a trumpeter, from corn, a horn.
rennyas, a carver, from ranna, to divide.
sewyas, a tailor, from sewy, to sew.
pǔrkenyas, an enchanter, from the intensive prefix pur (lit. very) and cana, to sing.
helhyas, a pursuer, from helhya, to hunt.
scrivinyas, a writer, from scrîfa, to write.
offeryas, a priest, from offeren, mass.
hǒmbrǒnkyas, a leader, from hǒmbrǒnkya, to lead.
Many words in yas occur only in the Cottonian Vocabulary, and appear there as ending in iad or iat, but since all the Cottonian words in iad and iat which do appear in later MSS. are made in the latter to end in yas (or ias), and since it may be taken as an invariable rule that all words ending in t or d in Welsh or Breton, if they occur at all in Cornish, end in s, any Cottonian word in iat or iad may fairly be taken for purposes of modern Cornish to end in yas.