Where does “Wales” come from?

Wales derives from Middle English Wales, from Old English Wealas, the plural of Old English wealh, from Proto-Germanic walhaz, ultimately from Proto-Celtic wolkos.

Wales (English): The area in which the Welsh language and culture predominated, roughly coincident with the modern country

Definitions

  1. The area in which the Welsh language and culture predominated, roughly coincident with the modern country

Ancestry of “Wales”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Middle EnglishWales—
2Old EnglishWēalasthe Welsh
3Old Englishwealhforeigner; Briton or Welshman; slave
4Old Englishīeġisland
5Proto-West Germanicauwjufloodplain; meadow; island
6Proto-Germanicawjōfloodplain; meadow; island
7Proto-Germanicagwjō—
8Proto-Indo-Europeanh₂ékʷeh₂water

Words derived from “Wales”

Every word from Proto-Indo-European h₂ékʷeh₂ →