Where does “wield” come from?

wield (Scots) comes from Old English wieldan, from Old English wealdan, from Germanic *waldan, from Proto-Germanic waldaną, from Proto-Indo-European waldʰ- — to be strong, be powerful, prevail, possess.

wield (Scots): To control, to guide or manage

Definitions

  1. To control, to guide or manage

Ancestry of “wield”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Old Englishwieldanto control; to possess power or authority over;...
2Old Englishwealdanto control; to wield; to rule
3Germanic*waldan—
4Proto-Germanicwaldanąto rule
5Proto-Indo-Europeanwaldʰ-to be strong, be powerful, prevail, possess
Every word from Proto-Indo-European waldʰ- →Every word from Proto-Germanic waldaną →Every word from Germanic *waldan →
wield — Etymology, Origin & Word History | Etymology Explorer