Where does “-wald” come from?

-wald (Frankish) comes from Frankish wald, from Proto-Germanic waldaz, from Proto-Germanic waldaną, from Proto-Indo-European waldʰ- — to be strong, be powerful, prevail, possess.

Ancestry of “-wald”, step by step

-wald traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.

via Frankish wald

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Frankishwaldpower, mastery, dominion; reigning; ruling
2Proto-Germanicwaldazleader
3Proto-Germanicwaldanąto rule
4Proto-Indo-Europeanwaldʰ-to be strong, be powerful, prevail, possess

via Proto-Germanic *wald

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Proto-Germanic*wald—
2Proto-Indo-Europeanh₂welh₁-to rule; strong, powerful; hair; wool

Words derived from “-wald”

Every word from Proto-Indo-European waldʰ- →