Where does “Wales” come from?

Wales (Middle English) comes 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, from Proto-Indo-European h₂ékʷeh₂ — water.

Ancestry of “Wales”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Old EnglishWēalasthe Welsh
2Old Englishwealhforeigner; Briton or Welshman; slave
3Old Englishīeġisland
4Proto-West Germanicauwjufloodplain; meadow; island
5Proto-Germanicawjōfloodplain; meadow; island
6Proto-Germanicagwjō—
7Proto-Indo-Europeanh₂ékʷeh₂water

Words derived from “Wales”

Every word from Proto-Indo-European h₂ékʷeh₂ →Every word from Proto-Germanic agwjō →Every word from Proto-Germanic awjō →