Welt
/wɛlt/noun
A raised ridge on the skin caused by a blow, sting, or irritation; also, a strip of material sewn around the edge of a shoe.
Did you know?The English word *welt* comes from a Germanic root tied to a strip or border, and in shoemaking it became the technical term for the sewn edge that holds a shoe together.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Germanic
PGmc
*welt-
“a strip, border, or edge”
Old English
OE
welt
“a border, edge, or strip of material”
Middle English
ME
welt
“a strip sewn around the edge of a shoe; later, a raised mark on the skin”
Modern English
English
welt
“a raised ridge on the skin or a strip used in shoemaking”