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Webster 1913 Edition

Weal

Weal

,
Noun.
The mark of a stripe. See
Wale
.

Weal

,
Verb.
T.
To mark with stripes. See
Wale
.

Weal

,
Noun.
[OE.
wele
, AS.
wela
,
weola
, wealth, from
wel
well. See
Well
,
adv.
, and cf.
Wealth
.]
1.
A sound, healthy, or prosperous state of a person or thing; prosperity; happiness; welfare.
God . . . grant you
wele
and prosperity.
Chaucer.
As we love the
weal
of our souls and bodies.
Bacon.
To him linked in
weal
or woe.
Milton.
Never was there a time when it more concerned the public
weal
that the character of the Parliament should stand high.
Macaulay.
2.
The body politic; the state; common wealth.
[Obs.]
The special watchmen of our English
weal
.
Shakespeare

Weal

,
Verb.
T.
To promote the weal of; to cause to be prosperous.
[Obs.]
Beau. & Fl.

Webster 1828 Edition

Weal

WEAL

,
Noun.
[G., L., to be strong, to avail, to prevail. The primary sense of weal is strength, soundness, from the sense of straining, stretching or advancing.]
1.
A sound state of a person or thing; a state which is prosperous, or at least not unfortunate, not declining; prosperity; happiness.
As we love the weal of our souls and bodies.
The weal or wo in thee is placd.
So we say, the public weal, the general weal, the weal of the nation or state.
2.
Republic; state; public interest. [But we now use commonwealth, in the sense of state.]

WEAL

,
Noun.
The mark of a stripe. [See Wale.] Weald, wald, walt, wold, in Saxon and other Teutonic dialects, signifies a wood or forest. It is found in names, as in Walt-ham, wood-house; corruptly pronounced Waltham.

Definition 2024

weal

weal

English

Noun

weal ‎(uncountable)

  1. (obsolete) Wealth, riches. [10th-19th c.]
  2. (now literary) Welfare, prosperity. [from 10th c.]
    • Francis Bacon
      as we love the weal of our souls and bodies
    • Milton
      to him linked in weal or woe
  3. Specifically, the general happiness of a community, country etc. (often with qualifying word). [from 15th c.]
    • Macaulay
      Never was there a time when it more concerned the public weal that the character of the Parliament should stand high.
    • 1960, P. G. Wodehouse, Jeeves in the Offing, chapter IV:
      The austerity of my tone seemed to touch a nerve and kindle the fire that always slept in this vermilion-headed menace to the common weal [...].
    • 2002, Colin Jones, The Great Nation, Penguin 2003, p. 372:
      Louis could aim to restyle himself the first among citizens, viewing virtuous attachment to the public weal as his most important kingly duty.

Derived terms

Translations
Related terms
  • in weal or woe

Etymology 2

See wale

Noun

weal ‎(plural weals)

  1. a raised, longitudinal wound, usually purple, on the surface of flesh caused by stroke of rod or whip; a welt.
Synonyms
Translations

Verb

weal ‎(third-person singular simple present weals, present participle wealing, simple past and past participle wealed)

  1. To mark with stripes; to wale.

Anagrams

Etymology

From Middle English wele, from Old English wela ‎(“wellness, welfare, prosperity, riches, well-being, wealth”), from Proto-Germanic *walô ‎(“well-being, wellness, weal”). Cognate with German Wohl, Danish vel, Swedish väl.

Pronunciation

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