Vlach
/vlɑːk/noun
A member of a Romance-speaking people of southeastern Europe, especially in historical or ethnographic contexts.
Did you know?The name ultimately comes from a Germanic word used by outsiders for Romanized or Celtic neighbors, the same ancient root behind words like Welsh and Walloon.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Germanic
PGmc
*Walhaz
“a foreigner; specifically a Romanized or Celtic person”
Old English / Old High German
Germanic
wealh / walh
“a foreigner, Briton, or Romanized person”
Medieval Latin
Latin
Blachus / Valachus
“a Vlach; a Romance-speaking inhabitant of the Balkans”
Byzantine Greek
Greek
Βλάχος (Vláchos)
“a Vlach; later also a shepherd or rustic in some contexts”
Middle English / Early Modern English
English
Vlach
“a member of the Romance-speaking peoples of southeastern Europe”