wæl

See also: wael and wäl

Old English

Alternative forms
  • ƿæl

Etymology

From Proto-Germanic *walo- or *walu-, from Proto-Indo-European *welə- ‘wound, injure’. Cognate with Old Saxon wal- (in waldâd ‘murderous deed’), Old High German wal, Old Norse valr.

In Old Norse valkyrja, Old English wælcyrge; literally "chooser of the slain". The Germanic word may be cognate with Latin vulnus ‘wound’ and Old Irish fuil ‘blood’.

Pronunciation
  • IPA(key): /wæl/

Noun

wæl n

  1. slaughter, carnage
  2. the slain, (rarely) a slain person, corpse

Derived terms

Descendants
  • Middle English: wal
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