Etymology Explorer › Middle English

Where does “wal” come from?

wal (Middle English) comes from Old English weall, from Proto-Germanic wallaz, from Latin vallum, from Proto-Indo-European wēl-.

wal (Middle English): death, slaughter; Alternative form of wale;...

Definitions

  1. death, slaughter; Alternative form of wale;...

Ancestry of “wal”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Old Englishweallwall; fervour; uproar; boiled or mulled wine
2Proto-Germanicwallazwell, spring; wall, rampart, entrenchment
3Latinvallumwall, rampart, entrenchment
4Proto-Indo-Europeanwēl-—

Words derived from “wal”

  • wall
  • firewall
  • unwell
  • wallpaper
  • Stonewall
  • stairwell
  • welling
  • gunwale
  • upwelling
  • drywall
  • sidewall
  • wellhead
  • inkwell
  • wallflower
  • wale
  • wallboard
  • wellbore
  • footwall
  • speedwell
  • gunnel
  • wellborn
  • Wallsend
  • welldoing
  • headwall
Every word from Proto-Indo-European wēl- →