Wall Comes From the Latin for a Rampart
A wall is an upright structure enclosing or dividing. The word arrived with Roman engineering.
A wall is an upright structure that encloses, divides or supports. The word is a Latin loan taken very early: *vallum* meant a rampart or palisade, from *vallus*, a stake, and Germanic speakers borrowed it along with Roman fortification methods before English existed as a separate language. That makes *wall* one of the oldest Latin borrowings in English, alongside *street*, *wine*, *cheese* and *mile*, all absorbed during contact with Rome rather than after 1066.
- An upright structure. *A brick wall.*
- A barrier. *A sea wall.*
- To enclose. *Walled in.*
- Vallum — a rampart. *The Latin.*
- Latin — *vallus*, a stake. *The root.*
Word forms
| Form | Word | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Noun | wall | A wall. |
| Plural | walls | Walls. |
| Verb | wall | Walled. |
| Related | interval | An interval. |
| Latin | vallum | A rampart. |
- The garden wall crumbled.Structure.
- Vallum meant a rampart.Etymology.
- Walled in on all sides.Verb.
Early Latin borrowings in English
- Wall — from *vallum*, a rampart
- Street — from *strata*, a paved way
- Wine — from *vinum*
- Cheese — from *caseus*
- Mile — from *mille passus*, a thousand paces
Old English *weall*, from Latin *vallum*, a rampart, from *vallus*, a stake.
Is wall a Latin word?
Yes. It was borrowed from Latin vallum, a rampart, very early, before English existed as a separate language.
Is interval related?
Yes. It means the space between two ramparts, from the same Latin root.