Reconstruction:Proto-Germanic/walhaz
Proto-Germanic
editEtymology
editFrom earlier *wólkos, from the name of a Celtic tribe, the Volcae.[1] Historically the tribe's name has been linked to an animal, possibly Proto-Celtic *wolkos (“hawk”), or alternatively (but less likely)[2] Proto-Celtic *ulkʷos (“wolf”), in turn from Proto-Indo-European *wĺ̥kʷos, as Caesar described the Celts having fought with huge dogs.[3]
For the first possibility, cf. the personal name Gaulish Catuvolcus and Welsh cadwalch (“hero, champion, warrior”, literally “battle-hawk”).
Pronunciation
editNoun
edit*walhaz m
Inflection
editsingular | plural | |
---|---|---|
nominative | *walhaz | *walhōz, *walhōs |
vocative | *walh | *walhōz, *walhōs |
accusative | *walhą | *walhanz |
genitive | *walhas, *walhis | *walhǫ̂ |
dative | *walhai | *walhamaz |
instrumental | *walhō | *walhamiz |
Usage notes
edit- 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
editDescendants
edit- Proto-West Germanic: *walh
- Proto-Norse: *ᚹᚨᛚᚺᚨᛉ (*walhaʀ)
- Gothic: *𐍅𐌰𐌻𐌷𐍃 (*walhs)
References
edit- ^ Vladimir Orel (2003) “*walxaz II”, in A Handbook of Germanic Etymology[1], Leiden, Boston: Brill, →ISBN, pages 443-4
- ^ Patrizia de Bernardo (2008), "Linguistically Celtic Ethnonyms: towards a classification", in: Juan Luís García Alonso (ed.), Celtic and Other Languages in Ancient Europe, Salamanca: Ediciones Universidad de Salamanca, p. 103
- ^ Caesar, Commentarii de Bello Gallico.
Categories:
- Proto-Germanic terms derived from Celtic languages
- Proto-Germanic terms derived from Proto-Celtic
- Proto-Germanic terms derived from Proto-Indo-European
- Proto-Germanic terms with IPA pronunciation
- Proto-Germanic lemmas
- Proto-Germanic nouns
- Proto-Germanic masculine nouns
- gem-pro:People
- Proto-Germanic a-stem nouns