Gaul (a historical region of Western Europe referring to areas occupied by Celts during Roman times, roughly corresponding to modern France, Luxembourg, Belgium, most of Switzerland, and parts of Northern Italy (Lombardy), the Netherlands, and Germany west of the Rhine)
Related: Gaule aquitaine, Gaule armorique, Gaule belqique, Gaule celtique, Gaule chevelue, Gaule cisalpine, Gaule cispadane, Gaule citérieure, Gaule en braies, Gaule en toge
Inherited from Middle French Gaule, from Old French Gaule, Waulle (“Gaul”), from Frankish *Walhaland (“Gaul”, literally “land of the Romans or foreigners”). Cognate with Old High German Walh, Walah (“Celt, Roman, Gaul”), Old English wealh, walh (“a non-germanic foreigner, Celt”), Old Norse Valir (“Gauls, Frenchmen”). More at Wales, Cornwall, Walloon. Despite their similar appearance, Latin Gallia is not the origin of French Gaule. During the evolution from Latin to French, stressed initial /ˈɡa-