Reconstruction:Proto-Germanic/walþuz

This Proto-Germanic entry contains reconstructed terms and roots. As such, the term(s) in this entry are not directly attested, but are hypothesized to have existed based on comparative evidence.

Proto-Germanic

Etymology

Possibly from Proto-Indo-European *wel-, in which case it would be cognate with Hittite 𒌑𒂊𒂖𒇻𒍑 (wellu-š, “pasture, meadow”). Another possibility is from Proto-Indo-European *wolHt- (compare Old Irish folt (“hair”), Old Prussian wolti (“ear (of corn)”), Lithuanian váltis (“oat awn”), Serbo-Croatian vlât (“ear (of wheat)”), and possibly Ancient Greek λᾰ́σῐος (lásios, “hairy”)), but the semantic gap is wide.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈwɑl.θuz/

Noun

*walþuz m

1. forest

   Synonyms: *furhiþą, *furhō, *skōgaz, *widuz

Inflection

u-stemDeclension of *walþuz (u-stem)
	singular	plural
nominative	*walþuz	*walþiwiz
vocative	*walþu	*walþiwiz
accusative	*walþų	*walþunz
genitive	*walþauz	*walþiwǫ̂
dative	*walþiwi	*walþumaz
instrumental	*walþū	*walþumiz

Descendants

• Proto-West Germanic: *walþu
  • Old English: weald, wald
    • Middle English: wald, wæld, wold, wolde, wald, walde, weld, welde
      • English: wold, weald, wald
      • Scots: wald
  • Old Frisian: wald
    • Saterland Frisian: Woold
    • West Frisian: wâld
  • Old Saxon: wald
    • Middle Low German: wôlt, wôld
      • Dutch Low Saxon: woold, woud
      • German Low German: Woolt, Woold, Wold
        • Plautdietsch: Woolt
  • Old Dutch: walt
    • Middle Dutch: wout
      • Dutch: woud
      • Limburgish: waadj
  • Old High German: wald
    • Middle High German: walt
      • Alemannic German: Wald

        Swabian: Wald

      • Bavarian: Woid, Woold

        Cimbrian: balt

        Mòcheno: bòlt

      • Central Franconian: Wald (widely obsolete)

        Hunsrik: Wald

        Luxembourgish: Wal

      • German: Wald
      • Rhine Franconian: Wald, Wall

        Frankfurterisch: [valt]

      • Yiddish: וואַלד (vald)
  • → Old French: gaut (“forest, woods”)
    • ⇒ Old French: gaudine
• Old Norse: vǫllr
  • Icelandic: völlur
  • Faroese: vøllur
  • Norn: vällj, vaddl
  • Norwegian Nynorsk: voll; (dialectal) vøll, vodd’e
  • Old Swedish: valder
    • Swedish: vall
  • Old Danish: wold, wall
    • Danish: vold, val
      • Norwegian Bokmål: voll