wealh

noun /ˈwæl(x)/

1. In Anglo-Saxon England, a speaker of a Brythonic language, especially Welsh.

   historical

   It is possible that the services on the royal manors, of which Seebohm gives one instance even in the very Saxon Hampshire, may have been heavier than the average of manors held by eorls or thanes. If so, the tenantry on the former may have been in larger proportion wealhs.

Where it comes from

Learned borrowing from Old English wealh. Compare Wales, Welsh.

Adapted from the Wiktionary entry wealh (CC BY-SA 4.0).

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