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@ Jack Rusher
2025-02-27 13:14:49
In Proto-West Germanic, an ancestor of English, this becomes “walh” (mostly meaning Celtic language speakers), which in Old English becomes “Wealas” — the origin of both Wales and Corn_wall_! The same word turns up in Swiss/South Tyrol German as “welsch” for Romance speakers.
Meanwhile, the term enters Vulgar Latin as *Wallō, ultimately becoming the word Wallonia (French Belgians, who were Celts before they were French).
See also: Wallachia (in Romania); Vlachs; &c.