Wald

//wɔːld// noun, verb

Definitions

Noun
  1. 1
    Power; strength. UK, countable, dialectal, uncountable
  2. 2
    Forest; woods.

    "… we still recognize the ancient traditions of the Goths, concerning the wald-elven,…"

  3. 3
    Command; control; possession. UK, countable, dialectal, uncountable
Verb
  1. 1
    To govern; inherit. UK, ambitransitive, dialectal

Etymology

Etymology 1

From Northern Middle English walde, from Old English wealdan (“to rule, control, determine, direct, command, govern, possess, wield, exercise, cause, bring about”), from Proto-West Germanic *waldan, from Proto-Germanic *waldaną (“to reign”), from Proto-Indo-European *waldʰ- (“to be strong, be powerful, prevail, possess”). Cognates Cognate with German walten (“to prevail, reign, dominate”), Danish volde (“to cause”), Icelandic valda (“to cause”), Lithuanian valda (“land property”), Lithuanian valdyti (“to rule”).

Etymology 2

From Northern Middle English wald, from Old English weald (“power, authority”), from Proto-Germanic *waldą (“power”), from Proto-Indo-European *waldʰ- (“to be strong, be powerful, prevail, possess”). Cognate with German Gewalt (“force, power, control, violence”), Swedish våld (“force, violence”).

Etymology 3

From Northern Middle English wald, from Old English weald (“high land covered with wood, woods, forest”), from Proto-West Germanic *walþu, from Proto-Germanic *walþuz, whence also Old High German wald (German Wald) and Old Norse vǫllr (Faroese vøllur, Norwegian voll, Icelandic völlur).

Next best steps

Mini challenge

Unscramble this word: wald