Reconstruction:Proto-Germanic/walþuz

This Proto-Germanic entry contains reconstructed terms and roots. As such, the term(s) in this entry are not directly attested, but are hypothesized to have existed based on comparative evidence.

Proto-Germanic

Etymology

Possibly from a Proto-Indo-European *wel-, in which case it would be cognate with Hittite 𒌑𒂊𒂖𒇻𒍑 (wellu-š, “pasture, meadow”).^[1] Another possibility is from Proto-Indo-European *wólH-tu-s, from a root *welH- (“hair, hairlike object”); compare Proto-Celtic *woltos (“hair (of the head)”) and Proto-Balto-Slavic *wolˀtis (“ear of grain”) (whence Lithuanian váltis (“oat awn”)),^[2] as well as possibly Ancient Greek λᾰ́σῐος (lắsĭos, “hairy”)), though the semantic gap is wide.

Pronunciation

IPA^(key): /ˈwɑl.θuz/

Noun

*walþuz m

forest
Synonyms: *furhiþą, *furhō, *skōgaz, *widuz

Inflection

u-stemDeclension of *walþuz (u-stem)
	singular	plural
nominative	*walþuz	*walþiwiz
vocative	*walþu	*walþiwiz
accusative	*walþų	*walþunz
genitive	*walþauz	*walþiwǫ̂
dative	*walþiwi	*walþumaz
instrumental	*walþū	*walþumiz

Related terms

*wilþijaz (possibly)

Descendants

Proto-West Germanic: *walþu
- Old English: weald, wald
  - Middle English: wold, wald, walde, weld, welde, wolde, woolde, wæld (Early Middle English)
    - English: wold, weald, wald
    - Scots: wald
- Old Frisian: wald
  - Saterland Frisian: Woold
  - West Frisian: wâld
- Old Saxon: wald
  - Middle Low German: wôlt, wôld
    - Dutch Low Saxon: woold, woud
    - German Low German: Woolt, Woold, Wold
      - Plautdietsch: Woolt
- Old Dutch: walt
  - Middle Dutch: wout
    - Dutch: woud
    - Limburgish: waadj
- Old High German: wald
  - Middle High German: walt
    - Alemannic German: Wald
      Swabian: Wald
    - Bavarian: Woid, Woold
      Cimbrian: balt
      Mòcheno: bòlt
    - Central Franconian: Wald (widely obsolete)
      Hunsrik: Wald
      Luxembourgish: Wal
    - German: Wald
    - Rhine Franconian: Wald, Wall
      Frankfurterisch:
    - Yiddish: וואַלד (vald)
- → Old French: gaut (“forest, woods”)
  - ⇒ Old French: gaudine
- → Piedmontese: vaoda, vaode
Old Norse: vǫllr
- Icelandic: völlur
- Faroese: vøllur
- Norn: vällj, vaddl
- Norwegian Nynorsk: voll; (dialectal) vøll, vodd’e
- Old Swedish: valder
  - Swedish: vall
- Old Danish: wold, wall
  - Danish: vold, val
    - Norwegian Bokmål: voll

References

^ Kloekhorst, Alwin (2008) “u̯ellu-”, in Etymological Dictionary of the Hittite Inherited Lexicon (Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series; 5), Leiden, Boston: Brill, →ISBN, page 998
^ Guus Kroonen (2013) “*walþu-”, in Alexander Lubotsky, editor, Etymological Dictionary of Proto-Germanic (Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series; 11)‎, Leiden, Boston: Brill, →ISBN, pages 571-2

[1] Kloekhorst, Alwin (2008) “u̯ellu-”, in Etymological Dictionary of the Hittite Inherited Lexicon (Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series; 5), Leiden, Boston: Brill, →ISBN, page 998

[2] Guus Kroonen (2013) “*walþu-”, in Alexander Lubotsky, editor, Etymological Dictionary of Proto-Germanic (Leiden Indo-European Etymological Dictionary Series; 11)‎, Leiden, Boston: Brill, →ISBN, pages 571-2

[1]

[2]