Reconstruction:Proto-Germanic/walhaz

From earlier *wólkos, from the name of a Celtic tribe, the Volcae.^[1] Historically the tribe's name has been linked to an animal, possibly Proto-Celtic *wolkos (“hawk”), or alternatively (but less likely)^[2] Proto-Celtic *ulkʷos (“wolf”), in turn from Proto-Indo-European *wĺ̥kʷos, as Caesar described the Celts having fought with huge dogs.^[3]

For the first possibility, cf. the personal name Gaulish Catuvolcus and Welsh cadwalch (“hero, champion, warrior”, literally “battle-hawk”).

• IPA^(key): /ˈwɑl.xɑz/

*walhaz m

1. a foreigner, a non-Germanic, specifically

   Coordinate term: *winidaz

   1. (early) a Celt, a Celtic-speaker
   2. (later) a Roman, a speaker of Latin (or Romance)

• The etymology suggests that this word originally referred to Celts, even though in most attested languages its sense is consistently “Roman, Latin-speaker”. This semantic shift is unsurprising as the continental Celts were being assimilated (politically, linguistically and culturally) to the Roman Empire during Proto-Germanic times. Note, however, that the Old English descendant was again applied (mostly) to Celts.

• *walhiskaz
• *walhahnuts