The photo doesn't much look like a rake, does it? Whilst ironing I did think of an alternative explanation. Some words can take a suffix of -yn to mean a little version of that thing - something like -ette in French eg bachgen (boy), bachgenyn (small boy). Crib means both a comb (unlikely in this context) but also a ridge (on a mountain). Although I can't remember hearing of cribyn in this sense, ie a small ridge, it is perfectly possible. In which case gribyn fach is a tautologous way of saying small ridge. A bit less imaginative but possibly more realistic explanation? Rhian ----- Original Message ----- From: "Katherine Benbow" <[email protected]> To: <[email protected]> Sent: Sunday, August 29, 2010 5:28 PM Subject: Re: [POWYS] meaning of gribyn > Well, here's the link to the photo of the hill, if that will help ... > > http://www.benbowfamily.com/showmedia.php?mediaID=59&all=1 > > Thanks! > > Katherine Benbow > > > > On Sun, Aug 29, 2010 at 11:55 AM, Rhian Williams < > [email protected]> wrote: > >> Not being familiar with the shape of this hill, I'd think it likely that >> gribyn is a mutated form of cribyn / cribin meaning a rake (garden or >> farming implement). It could be that it was a shortened version of Y >> Gribyn >> Fach (the small rake), where y causes the mutation. Might the shape of >> the >> hill have ridges as does soil that has been raked? Or be long and thin >> with >> a wider cross piece at the end? >> >> Rhian >> >> > > =================== > Visit the Powys Mailing List webpage at: > www.jlb2005.plus.com/powyslist.htm > > ------------------------------- > To unsubscribe from the list, please send an email to > [email protected] with the word 'unsubscribe' without the quotes > in the subject and the body of the message >

Thank you, Rhian, and others. I think the likeliest looking candidate is "ridge." It's strange, as I found that word on other place names when I was Googling for it. Thanks! Katherine Benbow