wal

See also: Wal, WAL, wäl, Wål, wał, wal•, and wal-

Translingual

Symbol

wal

1. (international standards) ISO 639-2 & ISO 639-3 language code for Wolaitta.

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Dutch

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ʋɑl/

• audio:

  (file)

• Hyphenation: wal
• Rhymes: -ɑl

Etymology 1

From Latin vallum (“wall”), from vallus (“stake, palisade, point”). Cognate with English wall.

Noun

wal m (plural wallen, diminutive walletje n)

1. coast, shore (side of land near to the water)
2. earthen levee as protection against flooding
3. wall around city as military defense
4. periorbital dark circle
5. eye circle; bags

Synonyms

• (levee): dijk
• (defensive wall): omwalling, stadsmuur
• (eye bags): oogwal

Derived terms

• bewallen, walling, stadswal

Descendants

• Negerhollands: wal

Etymology 2

From Middle Dutch wal (“whale”), from Old Dutch *wal, from Proto-West Germanic *hwal, from Proto-Germanic *hwalaz (“whale”). Cognate with English whale.

Possibly to avoid confusion with wal (“wall; shore”), the derived compound word walvis (“whale; lit. whale-fish”) gained currency over wal (“whale”). Similar clarifying compounds can be found elsewhere in Dutch: kraanvogel (“crane; lit. crane-bird”), muildier (“mule; lit. mule-animal”), oeros (“auroch; auroch-ox”), rendier (“rein; lit. rein-animal”), tortelduif (“turtle (bird); lit. turtle dove”) and windhond (“greyhound; lit. wind-dog”).

Noun

wal m (plural wallen, diminutive walletje n)

1. (archaic) whale

Synonyms

• (whale): walvis, waldier

Derived terms

• grindewal
• waldier
• walrus
• walschot
• walvis

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Eskayan

Numeral

wal

1. eight

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Gamilaraay

wal

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /val/

Noun

wal

1. container
2. rubbish bin

References

• (2017) Giacon J Gamilaraay-Yuwaalaraay Dictionary Supplement

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Garo

Etymology

(This etymology is missing or incomplete. Please add to it, or discuss it at the Etymology scriptorium.)

Noun

wal

1. night

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Hausa

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /wàl/
  • (Standard Kano Hausa) IPA^(key): [wàl]

Ideophone

wàl

1. sudden flash of light

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Middle English

Etymology 1

From Old English weall, from Proto-West Germanic *wall (“wall, rampart, entrenchment”), from Latin vallum (“wall, rampart, entrenchment, palisade”).

Alternative forms

• wale, walle, waule

Noun

wal (plural walles)

1. wall

Descendants

• English: wall
• Yola: wul, vall
• → Middle Irish: *balla
  • Irish: balla
  • Manx: boalley
  • Scottish Gaelic: balla

References

• “wal, n.(1).”, in MED Online, Ann Arbor, Mich.: University of Michigan, 2007.

Etymology 2

From Old English wæl.

Alternative forms

• wæl, wæle, wale, wel

Noun

wal (plural wals)

1. death, slaughter

References

• “wal, n.(2).”, in MED Online, Ann Arbor, Mich.: University of Michigan, 2007.

Etymology 3

Noun

wal

1. Alternative form of wale (“selection, preference”)

Adjective

wal

1. Alternative form of wale (“great”)

Etymology 4

Adverb

wal

1. (rare) Alternative form of wel

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Old High German

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /wal/

Noun

wal m

1. whale

Declension

Declension of wal (masculine a-stem)

case	singular	plural
nominative	wal	wala
accusative	wal	wala
genitive	wales	walo
dative	wale	walum
instrumental	walu	—

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Polish

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /val/

• Audio:

  (file)

• Rhymes: -al
• Syllabification: wal

Etymology 1

Borrowed from German Wal, from Old High German wal, from Proto-West Germanic *hwal, from Proto-Germanic *hwalaz, from Proto-Indo-European *(s)kʷálos (“sheatfish”).

Noun

1. whale (certain species)

Declension

Declension of wal

	singular	plural
nominative	wal	wale
genitive	wala	walów/wali
dative	walowi	walom
accusative	wala	wale
instrumental	walem	walami
locative	walu	walach
vocative	walu	wale

Hypernyms

• wieloryb, waleń

Etymology 2

See the etymology of the corresponding lemma form.

Verb

wal

1. second-person singular imperative of walić

Further reading

• wal in Wielki słownik języka polskiego, Instytut Języka Polskiego PAN
• wal in Polish dictionaries at PWN

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Welsh

wal

Alternative forms

• (literary) gwal

Etymology

Borrowed from Old English weall.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /wal/

Noun

wal m (plural waliau or welydd)

1. wall
2. (literary) Soft mutation of gwal.

Usage notes

wal is the most commonly used word for "wall" in Welsh. The word mur is used most often when referring to large walls such as the defensive walls of a city or Mur Mawr Tsieina "The Great Wall of China". It is also used in compound words, for example murlun, rhagfur, cellfur, briwydd y mur. pared in an internal partition wall whereas magwyr is a literary word for an external wall, little used now but preserved in such things as place and plant names.

Mutation

Welsh mutation
radical	soft	nasal	aspirate
gwal	wal	ngwal	unchanged
Note: Some of these forms may be hypothetical. Not every possible mutated form of every word actually occurs.

References

• R. J. Thomas, G. A. Bevan, P. J. Donovan, A. Hawke et al., editors (1950–present), “wal”, in Geiriadur Prifysgol Cymru Online (in Welsh), University of Wales Centre for Advanced Welsh & Celtic Studies