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 earlier *wólkos, 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. a foreigner, a non-Germanic, specifically

   Coordinate term: *winidaz

   1. (early) a Celt, a Celtic-speaker
   2. (later) a Roman, a speaker of Latin (or Romance)

Inflection

Declension 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

Usage notes

• The etymology suggests that this word originally referred to Celts, even though in most attested languages its sense is consistently “Roman, Latin-speaker”. This semantic shift is unsurprising as the continental Celts were being assimilated (politically, linguistically and culturally) to the Roman Empire during Proto-Germanic times. Note, however, that the Old English descendant was again applied (mostly) to Celts.

Derived terms

• *walhiskaz
• *walhahnuts

Descendants

• Proto-West Germanic: *walh
  • Old English: wealh
    • Middle English: wælh, wale
    • → English: wealh (learned)
    • → Medieval Latin: wallus
    • ⇒ Old English: Cornwēalas (“Cornwall”)
      • Middle English: Cornwale, Cornwaile
        • English: Cornwall
    • ⇒ Old English: Wēalas (“Wales”) (see there for further descendants)
  • 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-Slavic: *volxъ
    • → English: Vlach, Wallachia
• Proto-Norse: *ᚹᚨᛚᚺᚨᛉ (*walhaʀ)
  • Old Norse: valr sg, valir pl
    • Icelandic: valur sg, valir pl
    • ⇒ Old Norse: val-
      • Faroese: val-
      • Icelandic: val-
      • Old Swedish: val sg, valar pl
  • ⇒ Proto-Norse: ᚹᚨᛚᚺᚨᚲᚢᚱᚾᛖ (walhakurnē, “gold”, dat.sg., literally “Roman grain”)
• Gothic: *𐍅𐌰𐌻𐌷𐍃 (*walhs)
  • →? Proto-Slavic: *volxъ (“Roman; Romance speaker”)
    • → English: Vlach, Wallachia