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gewolt. In DICTIOUS you will not only get to know all the dictionary meanings for the word
gewolt, but we will also tell you about its etymology, its characteristics and you will know how to say
gewolt in singular and plural. Everything you need to know about the word
gewolt you have here. The definition of the word
gewolt will help you to be more precise and correct when speaking or writing your texts. Knowing the definition of
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Middle Low German
Etymology
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
- 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
gewôlt or gewolt f (dative gewôlde, plural gewôlden)
- power, capacity to impose one's will
- violence