gewolt

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Middle Low German

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Etymology

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From ge- +‎ wôlt, from Old Saxon wāld. The presence of the prefix is a regional variation going back to Old Saxon.
Related to the verb wôlden (reign, do as one pleases) from the Proto-Germanic *walþą. Cognate with German Gewalt (power, violence).

Pronunciation

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  • Stem vowel: ô²
    • (originally) IPA(key): /ɣəˈwɔːlt/ or IPA(key): /ɣəˈwɔlt/
    • While the combination /ld/ originally lengthened the vowel in Old Saxon, in several Middle Low German dialects it was treated like a geminate, or had actually become /lː/, and in turn shortened long vowels occurring before it. Further, the vowel was shortened before /lt/ from final obstruent devoicing. Dialects then often begun to apply the more common vowel length across all forms.

Noun

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gewôlt or gewolt f (dative gewôlde, plural gewôlden)

  1. power, capacity to impose one's will
  2. violence

Alternative forms

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