Etymology Explorer › English

Where does “Gaul” come from?

Gaul comes from Middle French Gaule, from Old French Gaule, from Latin Gallia, ultimately from Proto-Celtic wolkos meaning "foreign" or "stranger."

Gaul (English): A person from Gaul

Definitions

  1. A person from Gaul

Ancestry of “Gaul”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1FrenchGauleGaul
2Middle FrenchGauleGaul
3Old FrenchGaule—
4FrankishWalhalandGaul, Land of the Romans, foreigners
5FrankishWalhaforeigners, Romans, Celts
6Proto-Germanicwalhazforeigner, non-Germanic person
7LatinVolcaea Gallic tribal confederation; name of a Celtic...
8Proto-Celticwolkoshawk
9Proto-Indo-Europeanwelg-wet, damp

Words derived from “Gaul”

  • Gaulish
  • Gauls
Every word from Proto-Indo-European welg- →