Cwtch

Cwtch (Welsh pronunciation: [kʊtʃ]) is a Welsh-language and Welsh-English dialect word meaning a cuddle or embrace, with a sense of offering warmth and safety.

As there are no recognised cognates in the other Celtic languages, cwtch (also spelled as cwtsh and its earlier form cwts) is believed to be a loanword.

The noun gave rise to the Middle English word couch, but the verb may have been the more popular usage among Welsh speakers.

[3] This difficulty in translation and definition parallels another Welsh word, hiraeth, which often loses its original meaning of safety, childhood, or an idealized past.

[6] Avoiding another sweaty handshake with professional colleagues is certainly no great loss, but the ban on simple physical rituals like cwtching friends and family is.

"[9] In criticising the Welsh Government's restrictions, Fay Jones the Conservative MP for Brecon and Radnorshire became the first person to use the word in the British Parliament.