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Definition 2024
cau
cau
Catalan
Noun
cau m (plural caus)
Related terms
Etymology 2
From the verb caure (“to fall”).
Verb
cau
- third-person singular present indicative form of caure
- second-person singular imperative form of caure
Welsh
Pronunciation
- (North Wales) IPA(key): /kaɨ̯/
- (South Wales) IPA(key): /kai̯/
Etymology 1
From Proto-Celtic *kago-, from Proto-Indo-European *kagʰ- (“catch, grasp”) (compare Oscan [script needed] (kahad, “may he take”), Albanian kam (“to have, hold”).
Verb
cau (stem cae-)
- (transitive, intransitive) to close, shut
- (transitive) to fasten
- (intransitive) to heal, to close
Conjugation
Conjugation (literary)
| singular | plural | impersonal | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| first | second | third | first | second | third | |||
| present/future | caeaf | caei | cae | caewn | caewch | caeant | caeir | |
| imperfect/conditional | caewn | caeit | caeai | caeem | caeech | caeent | caeid | |
| preterite | caeais | caeaist | caeodd | caeasom | caeasoch | caeasant | caewyd | |
| pluperfect | caeaswn | caeasit | caeasai | caeasem | caeasech | caeasent | caeasid, caeesid | |
| subjunctive | caewyf | caeych | caeo | caeom | caeoch | caeont | caeer | |
| imperative | — | cau, caea | caeed | caewn | caewch | caeent | caeer | |
| verbal noun | cau | |||||||
| verbal adjectives | caeedig caeadwy |
|||||||
Conjugation (colloquial)
| Inflected colloquial forms | singular | plural | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| first | second | third | first | second | third | |
| future | caea i, caeaf i | caei di | caeith o/e/hi, caeiff e/hi | caewn ni | caewch chi | caean nhw |
| conditional | caewn i, caeswn i | caeet ti, caeset ti | caeai fo/fe/hi, caesai fo/fe/hi | caeen ni, caesen ni | caeech chi, caesech chi | caeen nhw, caesen nhw |
| preterite | caeais i, caees i | caeaist ti, caeest ti | caeodd o/e/hi | caeon ni | caeoch chi | caeon nhw |
| imperative | — | caea | — | — | caewch | — |
| Note: All other forms are periphrastic, as usual in colloquial Welsh. | ||||||
Antonyms
Derived terms
- ar gau (“closed, shut”)
- cau am (“to enclose, to encircle”)
- cau ceg (“to keep quiet”)
- cau llygaid ar (“to turn a blind eye”)
Related terms
Etymology 2
Cognate with Cornish kow, Breton kev.
Adjective
cau (feminine singular cau, plural cau, equative ceued, comparative ceuach, superlative ceuaf)
Antonyms
- solet (“solid”)
Related terms
- ceudod (“hollow”)
Mutation
| Welsh mutation | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| radical | soft | nasal | aspirate |
| cau | gau | nghau | chau |
| Note: Some of these forms may be hypothetical. Not every possible mutated form of every word actually occurs. | |||
References
- “cau” in Geiriadur Prifysgol Cymru.