Where does “Gaule” come from?
Gaule (Old French) comes from Frankish Walhaland, from Frankish Walha, from Proto-Germanic walhaz, from Latin Volcae, from Proto-Celtic wolkos, from Proto-Indo-European welg- — wet, damp.
Ancestry of “Gaule”, step by step
Gaule traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via Frankish Walhaland
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Frankish | Walhaland | Gaul, Land of the Romans, foreigners |
| 2 | Frankish | Walha | foreigners, Romans, Celts |
| 3 | Proto-Germanic | walhaz | foreigner, non-Germanic person |
| 4 | Latin | Volcae | a Gallic tribal confederation; name of a Celtic... |
| 5 | Proto-Celtic | wolkos | hawk |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | welg- | wet, damp |
via Latin Gallia
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Latin | Gallia | Gaul, modern-day France; France |
| 2 | Latin | -ia | Used to form a feminine abstract noun, usually... |
| 3 | Latin | -ius | forming adjectives from nouns; nominative neuter... |
| 4 | Proto-Italic | -jōs | Forms comparative adjectives |
| 5 | Proto-Indo-European | -yós | Creates adjectives from noun or verb stems |