Reconstruction:Proto-West Germanic/walh

This Proto-West 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-West Germanic

Etymology

From Proto-Germanic *walhaz.

Noun

*walh m

1. foreigner, non-Germanic person (a Celt, later also a Roman)

Inflection

Masculine a-stem
	Singular
Nominative	*walh
Genitive	*walhas
	Singular	Plural
Nominative	*walh	*walhō, *walhōs
Accusative	*walh	*walhā
Genitive	*walhas	*walhō
Dative	*walhē	*walhum
Instrumental	*walhu	*walhum

Derived terms

• *Walhaland
• *walhisk

Descendants

• 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