Etymology Explorer › Old English

Where does “wælcyrge” come from?

wælcyrge (Old English) comes from Proto-Germanic walakuzjǭ, from Proto-Germanic walaz, from Proto-Indo-European welh₃- — to hit, to strike.

wælcyrge (Old English): a malevolent female demon; a sorceress, a female...

Definitions

  1. a malevolent female demon; a sorceress, a female...

Ancestry of “wælcyrge”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Proto-Germanicwalakuzjǭvalkyrie, literally "chooser of the slain"
2Proto-Germanicwalazwounded; lich, corpse, dead body; battlefield
3Proto-Indo-Europeanwelh₃-to hit, to strike
Every word from Proto-Indo-European welh₃- →