Walloon
/wəˈluːn/noun
A Romance language spoken chiefly in southern Belgium, and by extension a person from that region.
Did you know?Walloon ultimately comes from a Germanic root meaning “foreign” or “Roman-speaking,” the same root behind words like Welsh and Cornwall — a linguistic label for outsiders that stuck for centuries.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Germanic
PGmc
*walhaz
“foreign; Roman; Celtic-speaker”
Old English / Old High German
OE/OHG
wealh / walh
“foreigner; Briton; later, a Welshman or servant in some contexts”
Medieval Latin
Latin
Walo / Wallo
“a Walloon or Romance-speaker from the Low Countries”
12th-13th Century
French
Wallon
“a Romance-speaking inhabitant of the southern Low Countries”
Modern English
English
Walloon
“a member of the Romance-speaking people of Wallonia; the Walloon language”