Where does “gewalt” come from?
gewalt (German) comes from Middle High German gewalt, from Old High German giwalt, from Proto-Germanic *wald, from Proto-Germanic waldą, from Proto-Indo-European waldʰ- — to be strong, be powerful, prevail, possess.
Ancestry of “gewalt”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | Middle High German | gewalt | strength, power |
| 2 | Old High German | giwalt | — |
| 3 | Proto-Germanic | *wald | — |
| 4 | Proto-Germanic | waldą | might, power, authority |
| 5 | Proto-Indo-European | waldʰ- | to be strong, be powerful, prevail, possess |