Wald

Alternative forms

• wauld Scotland

From Middle English walden, from Old English wealdan ("to rule, control, determine, direct, command, govern, possess, wield, exercise, cause, bring about"), from Proto-Germanic *waldanÄ… ("to rix, reign"), from Proto-Indo-European *waldÊ°- ("to be strong, be powerful, prevail, possess"). Cognate with German walten ("to prevail, reign, dominate"), Danish volde ("to cause"), Icelandic valda ("to cause"), Lithuanian valda ("land property"), Lithuanian valdyti ("to rule").

Full definition of wald

Verb

1. (UK dialectal, ambitransitive) To govern; inherit.

From Middle English wald, iwald, from Old English ġeweald ("might, power, possession, control, command, dominion, bridle, protection, subjection, groin, pudenda"), from Proto-Germanic *waldą ("might, power, main"), from Proto-Indo-European *waldʰ- ("to be strong, be powerful, prevail, possess"). Cognate with German Gewalt ("force, power, control, violence"), Swedish våld ("force, violence").

Noun

1. (UK dialectal) Power; strength.
2. (UK dialectal) Command; control; possession.

Related terms

• wield

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

Noun

1. Forest; woods.
• 1812, Walter Scott, Minstrelsy of the Scottish Border Chapter , … we still recognize the ancient traditions of the Goths, concerning the wald-elven,…
• 1853, Robert Simpson, History of Sanquhar Chapter , the romantic pass of the "wald path," along which runs a spur of an old Roman road
• 1857, George Bradshaw, Bradshaw's illustrated hand-book to Switzerland and the Tyrol Chapter , MARDEN and STAPLEHURST—All this part of the line, through the Weald of Kent, i.e., the wald or forest, which still prevails here.