Etymograph

English

weal

Weal comes from Middle English wele ‘prosperity’, from Proto-West Germanic *welō ‘property, wealth’, and ultimately from Proto-Germanic *walô ‘well-being, wellness, weal’.

  1. Proto-Germanicc. 500 BCE–200 CE*walô‘well-being, wellness, weal’reconstructed
  2. Proto-West Germanicc. 200–500 CE*welō‘property, wealth’reconstructed
  3. Old Englishc. 450–1150wela‘wellness, welfare, prosperity, riches, well-being, wealth’
  4. Middle Englishc. 1150–1500wele‘prosperity’
  5. Englishearliest quotation 1627weal

attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed

Lineage

  1. Proto-Germanicc. 500 BCE–200 CE*walô‘well-being, wellness, weal’reconstructed
  2. Proto-West Germanicc. 200–500 CE*welō‘property, wealth’reconstructed
  3. Old Englishc. 450–1150wela‘wellness, welfare, prosperity, riches, well-being, wealth’
  4. Middle Englishc. 1150–1500wele‘prosperity’
  5. Englishearliest quotation 1627weal

Earliest quotation: 1627, New Atlantis. A Worke Vnfinished.: “Therefore for Gods loue, and as we loue the…”

Every English word from Proto-Germanic *walô

Today it means

noun Wealth, riches.

Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word.

Etymograph / Proto-Germanic *walô / weal

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