Where does “welsch” come from?

welsch (Middle High German) comes from Old High German walahisc, from Proto-Germanic *walhisk, from Proto-Germanic walhiskaz, from Proto-Germanic walhaz, from Latin Volcae, from Proto-Celtic wolkos, from Proto-Indo-European welg- — wet, damp.

Ancestry of “welsch”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Old High GermanwalahiscRoman
2Proto-Germanic*walhisk—
3Proto-Germanicwalhiskazforeign, non-Germanic
4Proto-Germanicwalhazforeigner, non-Germanic person
5LatinVolcaea Gallic tribal confederation; name of a Celtic...
6Proto-Celticwolkoshawk
7Proto-Indo-Europeanwelg-wet, damp

Words derived from “welsch”

Every word from Proto-Indo-European welg- →Every word from Proto-Celtic wolkos →Every word from Latin Volcae →
welsch — Etymology, Origin & Word History | Etymology Explorer