Bälde

17th century, equivalent to bald (“soon”) +‎ -e (“-ness”). Possibly continues Middle High German belde, from Old High German beldī, but these are only attested in the sense “audacity”, belonging to the related Middle High German adjective balt (“audacious, bold”), which was lost by the 15th century. Therefore an independent coinage is more likely.

• IPA^(key): /ˈbɛldə/

Bälde f (genitive Bälde, no plural)

1. (higher register) soonness, a state of being imminent, the near future
   • 2011, Ekkehardt Müller, Der Erste und der Letzte – Studien zum Buch der Offenbarung, Frankfurt a.M.: Peter Lang Verlag, page 317:

     Übrigens scheint nicht die Schnelligkeit, sondern die Bälde der Wiederkunft Jesu betont zu werden.

     (please add an English translation of this quotation)

• Chiefly used in the phrase in Bälde (“[relatively] soon”), which is found in formal business style. However, freer use is occasionally met with; see the quotations above.