wæl

See also: wael and wäl

Middle English

Noun

wæl

1. alternative form of wal

Old English

Etymology

From Proto-Germanic *walaz, from Proto-Indo-European *welh₃- (“to hit, to strike”). Cognate with Old Saxon wal, Old High German wal, and Old Norse valr.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /wæl/

Noun

wæl n

1. slaughter, carnage
2. the slain
   • The Anglo-Saxon Chronicle

     An. DCCCXXIII Hēr wæs Wāla ġefeoht ⁊ Defna æt Gafulforda. ⁊ þȳ ilcan ġēare ġefeaht Eċġbryht cyning ⁊ Beornwulf cyning on Ellendūne, ⁊ Eċġbryht siġe nam, ⁊ þǣr wæs myċel wæl ġeslæġen.

     Year 823 In this year there was a battle between the Welsh and the Devons at Gafulford. And in the same year Kings Edgebright and Beornwulf fought at Allington, and Edgebright took the victory, and many were slain there.

3. (rare) a slain person, corpse

Declension

Strong a-stem:

	singular	plural
nominative	wæl	walu
accusative	wæl	walu
genitive	wæles	wala
dative	wæle	walum

Derived terms

• on wæl feallan (“to fall in battle”)
• wælblēat (“deadly”)
• wælċeaseġa (“raven”)
• wælhrēow (“cruel”)
• wælrēaf (“spoils in war”)
• wælsċeaft (“weapon-shaft”)
• wælstōw (“battlefield”)

Descendants

• Middle English: wal