gault

gault · noun¹

Of local origin, used by quarrymen and brickmakers to refer to the type of soil. First attested in writing as "golt" in 1815 (William Smith) and "gault" in 1816 (J Hailstone).

Gault · proper noun²

1. Proto-West Germanic · derived from*walþu
2. Old French · derived fromgaut“woods”
3. Middle English · derived fromgalt(e)“boar”
4. English todayGault

In some cases, from Middle English galt(e) (“boar”), from or related to Old Norse gǫltr. In other cases, from Old French gaut (“woods”) (as in placenames like Le Gault), from Proto-West Germanic *walþu.

Words from the same roots