Reconstruction:Proto-Indo-European/h₂welh₁-

• *welH-^[1][2][3]

Possibly connected to *welh₁- (“to choose, wish”)^[4][5], but Hittite requires a leading h₂-. Furthermore, an argument against reconstructing a root-final h₁ is Old Irish follnaithir (“rules”), which point to h₂ instead. A connection with *HweRdʰ- (“to become big/strong”), Sanskrit वर्धते (várdhate, “to grow”), is also suggested.^[1]

*h₂welh₁-^[6]

2. to rule
3. strong, powerful

• ^?*h₂welh₁-t ~ *h₂wl̥h₁-ént (root aorist)^[7]
  • >? Proto-Germanic: *wulþǭ (“I ruled”, 1sg past tense)
    • >? Proto-Germanic: *waldaną (“to rule”) (see there for further descendants) (back formation)^[7]
• *h₂wl̥-né-h₁-ti ~ *h₂wl̥-n-h₁-énti (nasal-infix present)^[5][8]
  • Anatolian:
    • Hittite: 𒄷𒌌𒇷𒄑𒍣 (ḫu-ul-le-ez-zi /⁠hullezi⁠/, “to smash, to defeat”)
• *h₂wl̥-né-h₂-ti ~ *h₂wl̥-n-h₂-énti (nasal-infix present)^[3]
  • Proto-Celtic: *walnāti
    • Old Irish: follnaithir (“to rule, govern”)
• *h₂wélh₁-dʰe-ti (dʰe-present)^[1]
  • >? Proto-Germanic: *waldaną (see there for further descendants) (alternatively)
  • Proto-Balto-Slavic:
    • Lithuanian: veldėti (“to inherit; (obsolete) possess, govern”)
    • Proto-Slavic: *volsti
      • Old Church Slavonic: власти (vlasti, “to rule”)
• *h₂wl̥h₁-eh₁-(ye)-ti^[9]
  • Proto-Italic: *walēō
    • Latin: valeō (“to be well”)
• *h₂welh₁-trom^[3]
  • Proto-Celtic: *walatrom
    • Proto-Brythonic: *gwaladr
      • Welsh: gwaladr (“ruler”)
• *h₂wol-neh₂-mō ~ *h₂wl̥-neh₂-m̥n-és^[3] (with regular *-oRHC- > *-oRC-, the "Saussure effect")
  • Proto-Celtic: *wolnāmū (“ruler”)
    • ⇒ Middle Irish: follamnacht (“government, ruling”)
    • ⇒ Middle Irish: follamnaigid (“to rule, govern”)
• *h₂wl̥h₁-ont-s^[7][10]
  • Proto-Tocharian:
    • Tocharian A: wäl (“king”)
    • Tocharian B: walo (“king”)
• *h₂wl̥h₁-o-s^[3]
  • Proto-Celtic: *walos (“prince”) (see there for further descendants)
• *h₂wélh₁-ti-s ~ *h₂wl̥h₁-téy-s^[11]
  • Proto-Celtic: *wlatis (“sovereignty”) (see there for further descendants)
• *h₂wolh₁-ós
  • Proto-Italic: *wolos (positive degree to *welaisVmos)
    • Pre-Samnite: ϝολος
• *h₂w(e)lh₁-is-(t)m̥mós (superlative adjective)
  • Proto-Italic: *welaisVmos
    • Oscan: 𐌅𐌀𐌋𐌀𐌉𐌌𐌀𐌔 (valaimas, gen. sg. f.), valaemom (nom./acc. sg. n.)
      • → Latin: volaemum
    • Pre-Samnite: ϝολαισυμος
    • South Picene: 𐌅𐌄𐌋𐌀𐌉𐌌𐌄𐌔 (velaimes, gen. sg. m.)

Extended form *h₂welh₁dʰ- (< metanalysis of dʰe-present).

• *h₂woldʰ-eh₁-ti (éh₁-stative)^[7]
  • Proto-Balto-Slavic:^[2]
    • Proto-Slavic: *volděti (“to rule”) (see there for further descendants)
• *h₂woldʰ-éye-ti (eye-iterative)^[7]
  • Proto-Balto-Slavic:
    • Latvian: vàldît
    • Lithuanian: valdýti
  • >? Proto-Germanic: *waldijaną (unless from *h₂wolh₁-t-éye-ti)
    • Proto-West Germanic: *waldijan
      • Old English: wieldan, wildan
        • English: wield
        • Scots: wield
• *h₂woldʰ-tis
  • Proto-Balto-Slavic: *walstis
    • Lithuanian: valstybė
    • Latvian: valsts
    • Proto-Slavic: *volstь (“rule”)^[12] (see there for further descendants)
• *h₂woldʰ-y-eh₂
  • Proto-Balto-Slavic: *walˀdjāˀ
    • Lithuanian: valdžia
    • Proto-Slavic: *volďa
• Unsorted formations:
  • Balto-Slavic:
    • Old Prussian: weldisnan sg (“inheritance”, acc)
  • Balto-Slavic:
    • Proto-Slavic: *voldь
      • Old Church Slavonic: владь (vladĭ, “power”)

Often compared to *welh₃- (“to pluck”) (Latin vellō (“to pull out, pluck”)^[13]) and *welH- (“to turn”). The root certainly had verbal function, in view of the Old Armenian formation in *-mn̥.

*h₂welh₁-^[14]

2. hair; wool

• *Hwel-^[13]

• *h₂wélh₁-mn̥
  • Proto-Armenian:
    • Old Armenian: գեղմն (gełmn)^[13] (see there for further descendants)
• *h₂wĺ̥h₁neh₂ (see there for further descendants)
• *h₂wélh₁nos
  • Proto-Italic: *welnos
    • Latin: vellus^[13] (see there for further descendants)
• *h₂wolh₁-ḱ-os
  • Proto-Slavic: *volsъ (see there for further descendants)
  • Proto-Indo-Iranian: *wálćas (see there for further descendants)
• *h₂wolh₁-ḱ-nom
  • Proto-Slavic: *volkъno (see there for further descendants)
  • Proto-Indo-Iranian: *walkás (see there for further descendants)
  • Proto-Germanic:
    • Old English: wlōh
• Unsorted formations:
  • Baltic:
    • Lithuanian: valai̇̃
  • Hellenic:
    • Ancient Greek: λῶμα (lôma), λάχνη (lákhnē), λάχνος (lákhnos), λάσιος (lásios)
  • Proto-Indo-Iranian: *HwārHáts
    • Proto-Nuristani: *wārakká (< *HwārHatkás)
      • Northern Nuristani:
        • Kamkata-viri:

          Kamviri: varúk

        • Prasuni: vórik
      • Southern Nuristani:
        • Ashkun: vorṓk
        • Waigali: vërëk
  • Italic:
    • Latin: villus
    • Latin: *ulos
      • Latin: adūlor
  • Proto-Slavic: *voldь
    • Old East Slavic: володь (volodĭ)
    • Old Church Slavonic: владь (vladĭ)
      • → Old East Slavic: владь (vladĭ)
    • (?) ⇒ Proto-Slavic: *podvoldьnъka
      • Slovene: pódlanka (“undercoat”)

• *welh₁-
• *welH-