See also: Welsch

German

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Alternative forms

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Etymology

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From Middle High German welsch, wälsch (wälisch, welhisch, wälhisch, walsch), from Old High German walahisc, walahisk, walask, from Proto-West Germanic *walhisk.

Cognate to Dutch Waals, English Welsh, Danish vælsk. In the sense “pertaining to Wales or the Welsh language” influenced by Middle English welische, English Welsh.

Pronunciation

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  • IPA(key): /vɛlʃ/, [vɛlʃ], [vɛlt͡ʃ], [ʋ-]
  • Audio:(file)

Adjective

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welsch (strong nominative masculine singular welscher, not comparable)

  1. (Switzerland, relational) of the Romance-speaking areas and population of Switzerland
  2. (dated, sometimes derogatory, relational) Romance (of the Romance languages and their speakers in general, particularly French and Italians)
    Synonym: romanisch
    • 1816, Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, “14. September 1786”, in Italienische Reise [Italian Journey]‎[1], volume 1:
      Die jenseitigen Deutschen rupfen den Teig wieder auseinander und braten ihn in Butter auf. Der welsche Tiroler hingegen ißt ihn so weg, manchmal Käse darauf gerieben, und das ganze Jahr kein Fleisch.
      The Germans living on the other side pluck the dough apart again and fry it in butter. The Romance-speaking Tyroleans, on the contrary, eat it as it is, sometimes with cheese grated over it, and no meat throughout the year.
  3. (archaic) foreign, not native
    Welschkornmaize (literally, “foreign corn”)
  4. (archaic, derogatory) of non-Germanic words in German; so used by purists of the 19th and early 20th century
  5. (obsolete, relational) of Wales; Welsh (of the country of Wales or the Welsh language)
    Synonym: walisisch

Declension

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Derived terms

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See also

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  • wendisch (equivalent term for Slavic speakers)

Further reading

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