Walter

See also: walter

English

Etymology

Germanic name, from Waltier, from Frankish *Waltheri (compare Old High German Waltheri), from Proto-Germanic *waldą (“ruler”) + *harjaz (“army, host”), from Proto-Indo-European *h₂welh₁- (“be strong”) + *ker- (“army”). Related to Old English Waldhere. Compare herald and Harold, which have these elements reversed.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈwɔltɚ/
• IPA^(key): /ˈwɔːltə/
• IPA^(key): /ˈwɑltɚ/
• Rhymes: -ɔːltə(ɹ)

Proper noun

Walter

1. A male given name from the Germanic languages.
   • ~1590 William Shakespeare, Henry VI, Part II, Act IV, Scene I

     Whitmore. And so am I; my name is Walter Whitmore. / How now! why start'st thou? what! doth death affright?

     Suffolk. Thy name affrights me, in whose sound is death. / A cunning man did calculate my birth, / And told me that by Water I should die. / Yet let not this make thee be bloody-minded; / Thy name is - Gaultier, being rightly sounded.

   • 1991 Julian Barnes, Talking It Over, →ISBN page 13:

     And with some appellations, the contrary applies. Like Walter, for instance. You can't be Walter in a pram. You can't be Walter until you're about seventy-five in my view.

   • 2003, Elinor Sisulu, Walter & Albertina Sisulu: In Our Lifetime (page 151)

     Walter complained about the assault and isolation of the volunteers. Two policemen immediately grabbed him and dragged him to the punishment cells.

Derived terms

• Walterboro

Related terms

• (pet forms) Wally, Walt, Wat
• (surnames) Fitzwater, Gwatkin, Walters, Waters, Waterson, Watkin, Watkins, Watkinson, Watson, Watt, Watts

Translations

male given name

• Armenian: Վալտեր (Valter)
• Bengali: ওয়াল্টার (ōẇalṭar)
• Catalan: Gualter
• Chinese:

  Cantonese: 華特／华特 (Waa⁴dat⁶)

  Mandarin: 沃爾特／沃尔特 (Wò'ěrtè), 沃尔特 (Wòērtè)

• Czech: Valtr (cs) m
• Dutch: Wouter (nl) m
• Esperanto: Valtero
• Estonian: Valter
• Finnish: Valtteri (fi)
• French: Gautier (fr) m
• Galician: Guterre (gl)
• German: Walter (de) m, Walther (de) m
• Greek: Γουώλτερ (Gouólter)
• Hungarian: Valter (hu)
• (deprecated template usage) {{trans-mid}}
• Icelandic: Valtýr (is) m, Valter (is) m
• Irish: Ualtar m
• Italian: Gualtiero (it) m
• Japanese: ウォルター (Worutā)
• Latin: Gualterius
• Latvian: Valters m
• Lithuanian: Valteris (lt) m
• Low German: Wöltje
• Maori: Wāta
• Polish: Walter (pl) m
• Portuguese: Guálter m, Gualtério m, Valter m, Walter m
• Russian: Ва́льтер (ru) m (Válʹtɛr) (traditional or from German), Уо́лтер (ru) m (Uóltɛr) (from English, modern)
• Serbo-Croatian: Валтер m, Valter m
• Slovene: Valter m
• Spanish: Gualterio m
• Swedish: Valter (sv)

Anagrams

• rewalt

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German

Alternative forms

• Walther

Etymology

From Old High German waltan (“to rule”) + heri (“army”). Cognate with English Walter.

Pronunciation

• Audio:

  (file)

• Rhymes: -altəʁ

Proper noun

Walter

1. a male given name.
2. a common patronymic surname transferred from the given name

Usage notes

• Popular given name in Germany since the Middle Ages due to Walter of Aquitaine, a legendary Visigoth king celebrated in German folklore.

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Italian

Etymology

Borrowed from English or German Walter (and Walther), of Germanic origin: from Proto-Germanic *waldijaną (“ruler”) (from Proto-Indo-European *wal- (“be strong”)) + *harjōną (“army, host”). Doublet of Gualtiero.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈval.ter/, [ˈväl̪t̪er]

Proper noun

Walter m

1. a male given name

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Portuguese

Proper noun

Walter m

1. a male given name, equivalent to English Walter, Alternative form of Valter

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Swedish

Proper noun

Walter c (genitive Walters)

1. a male given name, variant of Valter.