February 16, 2011

Word of the Day: Weal

Weal \WEEL\ noun
1.  Well-being, prosperity, or happiness.
2.  A raised mark on the surface of the body produced by a blow.
3.  (Obsolete) the state or body politic

Origin:
Weal shares the Old English root wela with welfare and a host of other English words.  The ultimate source in Proto-Indo-European is wel-, which is also the ancestor of words related to will.

 

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