Gaul
English
Etymology 1
Borrowed from French Gaule (“Gaul”), from Middle French Gaule (“Gaul”), from Old French Gaule, Waulle (“Gaul”, a term used to translate unrelated Latin Gallia (“Gaul”)), from Frankish *Walha(land) (“Gaul, Land of the Romans, foreigners”), from Proto-West Germanic *walh (“foreigner, Roman, Celt”), from Proto-Germanic *walhaz (“an outlander, foreigner, Celt”), probably of Celtic origin, from the same source as Latin Volcae (name of a Celtic tribe in South Germany, which later emigrated to Gaul).
Akin to Old High German Walh, Walah (“a Celt, Roman, Gaul”), Old English Wealh, Walh (“a non-Germanic foreigner, Celt/Briton/Welshman”), Old Norse Valir (“Gauls, Frenchmen”). More at Wales/Welsh, Cornwall, Walloon, and Vlach/Wallachia.
Despite their similar appearance, Latin Gallia is not the origin of French Gaule. During the evolution from Latin to French, stressed initial /ˈɡa-/ yielded /dʒa/ > /ʒa/ (cf. Latin gamba > French jambe), while unstressed final /-lia/ yielded /ʎə/ > /j/ (cf. Latin filia > French fille). Thus, the regular outcome of Latin Gallia is /ʒaj/ ⟨Jaille⟩, which is attested in several French toponyms: La Jaille-Yvon, Saint-Mars-la-Jaille, etc.
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): /ɡɔːl/
Audio (Southern England): (file)
- (cot–caught merger) IPA(key): /ɡɑl/
- Rhymes: -ɔːl
- Homophone: gall
Proper noun
Gaul
- (chiefly historical) A historical region of Western Europe referring to areas occupied by Celts during Roman times, roughly corresponding to modern France, Luxembourg, Belgium, most of Switzerland, and parts of Northern Italy (Lombardy), the Netherlands, and Germany west of the Rhine.
- Hypernyms: (historical) Celtic Gaul, Belgic Gaul, Aquitaine, Cisalpine Gaul, Transalpine Gaul, Gallia Narbonensis
Translations
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Etymology 2
From Middle English Gall, from Latin Gallus. The change in spelling is due to the influence of the place-name Gaul, which is thought to be etymologically unrelated (see above).
Noun
Gaul (plural Gauls)
- A native or inhabitant of the historical region of Gaul, or poetically the modern nation of France.
- 1945, E G Withycombe, “Introduction”, in The Oxford Dictionary of English Christian Names, Oxford, Oxfordshire: Clarendon Press, →OCLC, page xv:
- Gauls used the suffix -acus, Etruscans -nas or -na, Umbrians -enus, -ienus.
Related terms
Translations
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Anagrams
German
Etymology
From Middle High German gūl, from Old High German *gūl, from Proto-West Germanic *gūl- (stem form uncertain). Cognate with Dutch guil, Middle Low German gûl(e). Further origin obscure, but possibly related with gießen (“to pour”), referring to a “seed pourer”, that is a stud.
Pronunciation
Noun
Gaul m (strong, genitive Gaules or Gauls, plural Gäule)
- horse, hack (now chiefly derogatory, but less so for working horses, and not at all in regional usage)
Usage notes
- Insofar as it is a pejorative word, it is of course more likely to be used of decrepit horses. However, Gaul does not in itself express such a quality. German equivalents for “nag” include Klepper, Kracke, Mähre.
Declension
Derived terms
References
- ^ J. de Vries (1971), Nederlands Etymologisch Woordenboek, Leiden
Further reading
Hunsrik
Alternative forms
- kaul (Wiesemann spelling system)
Etymology
From Middle High German gūl, of obscure ultimate origin, but possibly ultimately from Proto-West Germanic *geutan (“to pour, cast”), referring to a powerful male horse, a "seed-pouring animal." Cognate with German Gaul.
Pronunciation
Noun
Gaul m (plural Geil, diminutive Geilche)
- horse
- Die Geil sin schnell.
- The horses are fast.
Further reading
Pennsylvania German
Etymology
From Middle High German gūl, of obscure ultimate origin, but possibly ultimately from Proto-West Germanic *geutan (“to pour, cast”), referring to a powerful male horse, a "seed-pouring animal." Cognate with German Gaul, Middle Low German gûl, and Dutch guil (“old horse”).
Noun
Gaul m (plural Geil)
Plautdietsch
Etymology
From Middle Low German galle, from Old Saxon galla, from Proto-West Germanic *gallā, from Proto-Germanic *gallǭ.
Noun
Gaul f (plural Gaule)