Gaul

Gaul · proper noun¹

1. Celtic · derived from
2. Proto-Germanic · derived from*walhaz“an outlander, foreigner, Celt”
3. Proto-West Germanic · derived from*walh“foreigner, Roman, Celt”
4. Frankish · derived from*Walha(land)“Gaul, Land of the Romans, foreigners”
5. Old French · derived fromGaule
6. Middle French · derived fromGaule“Gaul”
7. French · borrowed fromGaule“Gaul”
8. English todayGaul

Borrowed from French Gaule (“Gaul”), from Middle French Gaule (“Gaul”), from Old French Gaule, Waulle (“Gaul”, a term used to translate unrelated Latin Gallia (“Gaul”)), from Frankish *Walha(land) (“Gaul, Land of the Romans, foreigners”), from Proto-West Germanic *walh (“foreigner, Roman, Celt”), from Proto-Germanic *walhaz (“an outlander, foreigner, Celt”), probably of Celtic origin, from the same source as Latin Volcae (name of a Celtic tribe in South Germany, which later emigrated to Gaul). Akin to Old High German Walh, Walah (“a Celt, Roman, Gaul”), Old English wealh (“a non-Germanic foreigner, Celt/Briton/Welshman”), Old Norse Valir (“Gauls, Frenchmen”). More at Wales/Welsh, Cornwall, Walloon, and Vlach/Wallachia. Despite their similar appearance, Latin Gallia is not the origin of French Gaule. During the evolution from Latin to French, stressed initial /ˈɡa-/ yielded /dʒa/ > /ʒa/ (cf. Latin gamba > French jambe), while unstressed final /-lia/ yielded /ʎə/ > /j/ (cf. Latin filia > French fille). Thus, the regular outcome of Latin Gallia is /ʒaj/ ⟨Jaille⟩, which is attested in several French toponyms: La Jaille-Yvon, Saint-Mars-la-Jaille, etc.

Gaul · noun²

1. Latin · derived fromGallus
2. Middle English · derived fromGall
3. English todayGaul

From Middle English Gall, from Latin Gallus. The change in spelling is due to the influence of the place-name Gaul, which is thought to be etymologically unrelated (see above).

Words from the same roots