Etymology

From Proto-Slavic *volxъ ‎(“speaker of a Romance language”), from Proto-Germanic *walhaz ‎(“non-Germanic foreigner, Celt; later Roman”). Presumably introduced into Slavic around the 7th century, but first recorded only in the 11th century in Byzantine Greek. In English used as a synonym of "Wallachian" from the 19th century. The word is etymologically distantly related to Wales/Welsh, Walloon, and Gaul.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): [vlɑːk], also IPA^(key): [vlæk]

  Rhymes: -ɑːk

  Rhymes: -æk