Walloon

Borrowed from Middle French Wallon / wallon, from Frankish *walh, from Proto-Germanic *walhaz (“foreigner”).

Cognate to Welsh/Wales, the second part of Cornwall, and first part of walnut, as well as Gaul and Wallachia.

• (UK) IPA^(key): /wəˈluːn/

• Audio (US):

  (file)

• Rhymes: -uːn

Walloon

1. A Romance language traditionally spoken in parts of southern Belgium and a small strip of northern France (around Givet).
   • 2001 December 2, Giles Milton, “'The Riddle and the Knight'”, in The New York Times‎^[1], archived from the original on 19 April 2022:

     By the time this mysterious knight died in the 1360s, his book was available in every European language, including Dutch, Gaelic, Czech, Catalan, and Walloon.

Walloon (plural Walloons)

1. An inhabitant of Wallonia, of Belgian nationality, now predominantly French-speaking.
   • 1593±1, Humfrey Barwick, A breefe discourse, concerning the force and effect of all manuall weapons of fire and the disability of the long bowe or archery, in respect of others of greater force now in vse. With sundrye probable reasons for the verrifying therof: the which I haue doone of dutye towards my soueraigne and country, and for the better satisfaction of all such as are doubtfull of the same.‎^[2], London:

     when I was young I did seeke to serue, both in England, Fraunce, and Scotland, to that end I might the better doo my Prince and Countrye seruice, and also to sustaine myselfe, who otherwaies was not able to liue as I did desire to doo: wheras I learned to know the vse of most weapons of warre both for Horsemen and footmen, that are or haue beene vsed in this age, with as good Schoolemaisters as any Italian, Spaniard or Wallon whatsoeuer, hath been or now is.

2. A speaker of Walloon (as above).

Walloon (not comparable)

1. Referring to the Belgian region of Wallonia and its inhabitants.
   • 1627, Herman Hugo, translated by Gerat Barry, The seige of Breda by the armes of Phillip the Fourt vnder the gouernment of Isabella atchiued by the conduct of Ambr. Spinola, Leuven, page 35:

     The valerouse, and prudent Earle of Isimburque uppon the firste aduice of Captaine Barri, touching the quantitie and presumtion of the enemy, drew on vnto the field, and with great expedition brauelie ordered, and deuided his almain, and vallon Infanterie, into two squadrons, in forme of broad front with amostualerous determintion to incounter and giue battel to the enemy if need did require.

2. Referring to the Walloon language (as above).

• Wallonia

• walnut
• Welsh

• Flemish
• Fleming
• Wiktionary’s coverage of Walloon terms
• Appendix:Walloon Swadesh list for a Swadesh list of basic vocabulary words in Walloon

• ISO 639-1 code wa, ISO 639-3 code wln (SIL)
• Ethnologue entry for Walloon, wln ⁠