Etymology Explorer › German

Where does “Wallis” come from?

Wallis (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 “Wallis”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1EnglishWales—
2Middle EnglishWales—
3Old EnglishWēalas—
4Old Englishwealhforeigner; Briton or Welshman; slave
5Old Englishīeġisland
6Proto-West Germanicauwjufloodplain; meadow; island
7Proto-Germanicawjōfloodplain; meadow; island
8Proto-Germanicagwjō—
9Proto-Indo-Europeanh₂ékʷeh₂water
Every word from Proto-Indo-European h₂ékʷeh₂ →