wæl
Middle English
Noun
wæl
- alternative form of wal
Old English
Etymology
From Proto-Germanic *walaz, from Proto-Indo-European *welh₃- (“to hit, to strike”). Cognate with Old Saxon wal, Old High German wal, and Old Norse valr.
Pronunciation
- IPA(key): /wæl/
Noun
wæl n
- slaughter, carnage
- the slain
- The Anglo-Saxon Chronicle
- An. DCCCXXIII Hēr wæs Wāla ġefeoht ⁊ Defna æt Gafulforda. ⁊ þȳ ilcan ġēare ġefeaht Eċġbryht cyning ⁊ Beornwulf cyning on Ellendūne, ⁊ Eċġbryht siġe nam, ⁊ þǣr wæs myċel wæl ġeslæġen.
- Year 823 In this year there was a battle between the Welsh and the Devons at Gafulford. And in the same year Kings Edgebright and Beornwulf fought at Allington, and Edgebright took the victory, and many were slain there.
- The Anglo-Saxon Chronicle
- (rare) a slain person, corpse
Declension
Strong a-stem:
| singular | plural | |
|---|---|---|
| nominative | wæl | walu |
| accusative | wæl | walu |
| genitive | wæles | wala |
| dative | wæle | walum |
Derived terms
- on wæl feallan (“to fall in battle”)
- wælblēat (“deadly”)
- wælċeaseġa (“raven”)
- wælhrēow (“cruel”)
- wælrēaf (“spoils in war”)
- wælsċeaft (“weapon-shaft”)
- wælstōw (“battlefield”)
Descendants
- Middle English: wal