Where does “weald” come from?

weald (English) comes from Middle English wæld, from Old English weald, from Proto-West Germanic walþu, from Proto-Germanic walþuz, from Proto-Indo-European wel- — to see.

weald (English): A wood or forest; An open country

Definitions

  1. A wood or forest; An open country

Ancestry of “weald”, step by step

weald traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.

via Middle English wæld

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Middle Englishwæld—
2Old Englishwealdforest; power; authority
3Proto-West Germanicwalþuforest
4Proto-Germanicwalþuzforest
5Proto-Indo-Europeanwel-to see

via Middle English weeld

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Middle Englishweeld—
2Old Frisianweld—

Words derived from “weald”

Every word from Proto-Indo-European wel- →Every word from Proto-Germanic walþuz →Every word from Proto-West Germanic walþu →