Where does “wale” come from?
wale (Middle English) comes 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 “wale”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | Old English | wealh | foreigner; Briton or Welshman; slave |
| 2 | Old English | īeġ | island |
| 3 | Proto-West Germanic | auwju | floodplain; meadow; island |
| 4 | Proto-Germanic | awjō | floodplain; meadow; island |
| 5 | Proto-Germanic | agwjō | — |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | h₂ékʷeh₂ | water |