corgi

Corgi comes from Welsh cor (dwarf) + gi (dog), though some dispute this etymology, suggesting ci (dog) with a mutation. Either way, the word is definitively Welsh, naming the short-legged herding dogs that have worked Welsh farms for at least a thousand years.

There are two breeds: the Pembroke Welsh Corgi and the Cardigan Welsh Corgi, from different regions of Wales. They were bred low to the ground so they could nip at cattle heels without being kicked. The stumpy legs were not cute — they were engineering.

Queen Elizabeth II received her first Pembroke Corgi, Dookie, in 1933 and owned more than 30 corgis during her reign. The royal association transformed the corgi from a Welsh working dog into an icon of British monarchy — and then, through memes, into an internet sensation.

The word 'corgi' is now one of the most recognizable Welsh words in any language. A tiny Celtic word for a small dog achieved what the Welsh language itself has struggled to do: global recognition.