Where does “Wales” come from?
Wales (German) comes from English Wales, from Middle English Wales, from Old English Wēalas, from Old English wealh, from Old English īeġ, from Proto-West Germanic auwju, from Proto-Germanic awjō, from Proto-Germanic agwjō — water.
Ancestry of “Wales”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | English | Wales | The area in which the Welsh language and culture predominated, roughly coincident with the modern country |
| 2 | Middle English | Wales | — |
| 3 | Old English | Wēalas | the Welsh |
| 4 | Old English | wealh | foreigner; Briton or Welshman; slave |
| 5 | Old English | īeġ | island |
| 6 | Proto-West Germanic | auwju | floodplain; meadow; island |
| 7 | Proto-Germanic | awjō | floodplain; meadow; island |
| 8 | Proto-Germanic | agwjō | — |
| 9 | Proto-Indo-European | h₂ékʷeh₂ | water |