Reconstruction:Proto-West Germanic/walh

This Proto-West 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-West Germanic

Etymology

From Proto-Germanic *walhaz.

Noun

*walh m

foreigner, non-Germanic person (a Celt, later also a Roman)

Inflection

Masculine a-stem
	Singular
Nominative	*walh
Genitive	*walhas
	Singular	Plural
Nominative	*walh	walhō, walhōs
Accusative	*walh	*walhā
Genitive	*walhas	*walhō
Dative	*walhē	*walhum
Instrumental	*walhu	*walhum

Derived terms

Descendants

Old English: wealh
- Middle English: wælh, wale
- → English: wealh (learned)
- → Medieval Latin: wallus
- ⇒ Old English: Cornwēalas (“Cornwall”)
  - Middle English: Cornwale, Cornwaile
    - English: Cornwall
- ⇒ Old English: Wēalas (“Wales”) (see there for further descendants)
Old Dutch: *Wala, *Wale
- Middle Dutch: wāle
  - Dutch: Waal
Old High German: walh, walah
- Middle High German: walch
  - German: Walchen pl, Walen pl (in placenames)
→ Vulgar Latin: *Wallō
- Walloon: walon, Walon
  - → French: wallon, Wallon
    - → English: Walloon
→? Proto-Slavic: *volxъ
- → English: Vlach, Wallachia