† i-waldn.

Etymology: In α. forms cognate with or formed similarly to Old Frisian gewald , Old Dutch giwalt (Middle Dutch gewout , early modern Dutch gewoud ), Old Saxon giwald (Middle Low German gewalt ), Old High German giwalt (Middle High German gewalt , German Gewalt ) < the Germanic base of y- prefix + the Germanic base of Old English wealdan (see wield v.). With the β. forms compare Old Frisian geweld , Middle Dutch gewelt (Dutch geweld ), Middle Low German gewelde (see note). Compare wield n.The Germanic nouns show different stem formations; forms with i-mutation of the stem vowel (seen in the β. forms and its Germanic parallels) are probably of more than one origin. With the latter compare also forms of the Old English weak Class I verb discussed at wield v. and i-welde v. The prefix was regularly lost in North Germanic (compare the discussion at y- prefix), so unprefixed Old Icelandic vald , veldi (and the related Scandinavian forms listed at wield n.) may alternatively reflect the prefixed Germanic base. Specific uses. With to owe i-wald compare Middle High German gewalt eigen to have jurisdiction. With on one's i-wald compare Middle Dutch in enes gewout (Dutch in iemands geweld), Middle Low German in ēnes gewalt, Middle High German in sīner gewalt, etc. (German in jemandes Gewalt, in der Gewalt von—), all in the sense ‘in one's power, under one's control’.