Reconstruction:Proto-Germanic/walhaz

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

From the name of a Celtic tribe, the Volcae. Historically the tribe's name has been linked to an animal, possibly Proto-Celtic *wolkos (“hawk”), or alternatively (but less likely) Proto-Celtic *ulkʷos (“wolf”), in turn from Proto-Indo-European *wĺ̥kʷos, as Caesar described the Celts having fought with huge dogs. For the first possibility, cf. the personal name Gaulish Catuvolcus and Welsh cadwalch (“hero, champion, warrior”, literally “battle-hawk”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈwɑl.xɑz/

Noun

*walhaz m

1. foreigner, non-Germanic person (especially a speaker of Latin or a Celtic or Romance language)

Inflection

masculine a-stemDeclension of *walhaz (masculine a-stem)
	singular	plural
nominative	*walhaz	*walhōz, *walhōs
vocative	*walh	*walhōz, *walhōs
accusative	*walhą	*walhanz
genitive	*walhas, *walhis	*walhǫ̂
dative	*walhai	*walhamaz
instrumental	*walhō	*walhamiz

Derived terms

• *walhahnuts
• *walhiskaz

 

Descendants

• Proto-West Germanic: *walh
  • Old English: wealh
    • Middle English: wale
      • ⇒ English: Wales, Cornwall
  • Old Dutch: *Wala, *Wale
    • Middle Dutch: wāle
      • Dutch: Waal
  • Old High German: walh, walah
    • Middle High German: walch
      • German: Walchen pl, Walen pl (in placenames)
  • → Vulgar Latin: *Wallō
    • Walloon: walon, Walon
      • → French: wallon, Wallon
        • → English: Walloon
• Proto-Norse: *ᚹᚨᛚᚺᚨᛉ (*walhaʀ) (attested in ᚹᚨᛚᚺᚨᚲᚢᚱᚾᛖ (walhakurnē) on the Tjurkö 1 bracteate, dative singular of a compound meaning “foreign grain”, taken to be a kenning for “gold”)
  • Old Norse: valr (plural valir)
    • ⇒ Old Norse: val-
    • Faroese: val-
    • Old Swedish: val, valar pl
• → Proto-Slavic: *volxъ
  • → English: Vlach, Wallachia (borrowed)
• ⇒ Hungarian: olasz, oláh