English word origin

Etymology of dwale

From Middle English dwale (“stupor; deception; delusion, evil”), from Old English dwala, dwola (“error, heresy; doubt; madman, deceiver, heretic”) and Old Norse dvala (“sleep, stupor”).

2 source sectionsExtended source reportWiktionary original ↗

In this entry · 2 source sections

The source etymologies

Wiktionary via Kaikki / Wiktextract

The source reports below are imported and unreviewed by *SET-U. Separate numbered origins and differing source variants are preserved; agreement within this extraction is not independent corroboration.

Source etymology 1

Original entry ↗

noun

Belladonna or a similar soporific plant. · A sleeping-potion, especially one made from belladonna. · A torpor. · A bugbear.

Selected source glosses provide context, not a complete modern definition inventory

From Middle English dwale (“stupor; deception; delusion, evil”), from Old English dwala, dwola (“error, heresy; doubt; madman, deceiver, heretic”) and Old Norse dvala (“sleep, stupor”).

Relationships mentioned by the source

These are extracted mentions, not a timeline or a verified sequence of immediate parents.

Inherited-form mentiondwaleenm
Inherited-form mentiondwalaang
Derivation mentiondvalanon · sleep, stupor

Inspect preserved source fields

Raw extraction fields are retained for auditing. Their order does not establish ancestry.

{
  "templates": [
    {
      "name": "inh",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "enm",
        "3": "dwale",
        "4": "",
        "5": "stupor; deception; delusion, evil"
      },
      "expansion": "Middle English dwale (“stupor; deception; delusion, evil”)"
    },
    {
      "name": "inh",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "ang",
        "3": "dwala",
        "4": ""
      },
      "expansion": "Old English dwala"
    },
    {
      "name": "der",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "non",
        "3": "dvala",
        "t": "sleep, stupor"
      },
      "expansion": "Old Norse dvala (“sleep, stupor”)"
    }
  ],
  "links": [
    [
      "dwale",
      "dwale#Middle_English"
    ],
    [
      "dwala",
      "dwala#Old_English"
    ],
    [
      "dwola",
      "dwola#Old_English"
    ],
    [
      "dvala",
      "dvala#Old_Norse"
    ]
  ],
  "references": [],
  "descendants": [],
  "lexical": [
    {
      "pos": "noun",
      "glosses": [
        "Belladonna or a similar soporific plant.",
        "A sleeping-potion, especially one made from belladonna.",
        "A torpor.",
        "A bugbear."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "countable",
        "uncountable",
        "archaic",
        "dialectal"
      ],
      "recordId": "6576d7c0c70312e819ebf9aac4fc7b6c35f7f73b55e447d37c5a1dd9c69277a9",
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  }
}

Source etymology 2

Original entry ↗

verb

To mutter deliriously.

Selected source glosses provide context, not a complete modern definition inventory

From Middle English dwalen, from Old English dwalian, from Proto-Germanic *dwalōną, from Proto-Indo-European *dʰwelH- (“to make turbid”).

Relationships mentioned by the source

These are extracted mentions, not a timeline or a verified sequence of immediate parents.

Inherited-form mentiondwalenenm
Inherited-form mentiondwalianang
Inherited-form mention*dwalōnągem-pro
Derivation mention*dʰwelH-ine-pro · to make turbid

Inspect preserved source fields

Raw extraction fields are retained for auditing. Their order does not establish ancestry.

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  "templates": [
    {
      "name": "inh",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "enm",
        "3": "dwalen"
      },
      "expansion": "Middle English dwalen"
    },
    {
      "name": "inh",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "ang",
        "3": "dwalian"
      },
      "expansion": "Old English dwalian"
    },
    {
      "name": "inh",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "gem-pro",
        "3": "*dwalōną"
      },
      "expansion": "Proto-Germanic *dwalōną"
    },
    {
      "name": "der",
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        "1": "en",
        "2": "ine-pro",
        "3": "*dʰwelH-",
        "t": "to make turbid"
      },
      "expansion": "Proto-Indo-European *dʰwelH- (“to make turbid”)"
    }
  ],
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    [
      "dwalen",
      "dwalen#Middle_English"
    ],
    [
      "dwalian",
      "dwalian#Old_English"
    ],
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      "*dwalōną",
      "Reconstruction:Proto-Germanic/dwalōną"
    ],
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      "*dʰwelH-",
      "Reconstruction:Proto-Indo-European/dʰwelH-"
    ]
  ],
  "references": [],
  "descendants": [],
  "lexical": [
    {
      "pos": "verb",
      "glosses": [
        "To mutter deliriously."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "dialectal"
      ],
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}

Where this record stops

This page does not supply an independently verified sound-change sequence, first-use manuscript or complete family tree unless a cited analysis explicitly establishes one. Missing detail here is a limit of this record—not a claim that humanity knows nothing more.

An older meaning does not determine what a word must mean today. Follow the sources, preserve disagreements, and keep ancestry separate from interpretation.

Contribute located evidence for dwale →

Source and snapshot

Imported from Wiktionary contributors; extracted by Tatu Ylonen / Wiktextract / Kaikki.org. Selected fields are reformatted and grouped; wording, source identity and etymology sections are retained. CC-BY-SA-4.0 applies to the imported source material.

Dump: 2026-10-01 · Extracted: 2026-10-30. These are snapshot dates, not the word’s first attestation or the page’s revision date.

Source entry and bibliography ↗Wiktionary revision history ↗Acquisition and rights ledger

Machine-source provenance

Source SHA-256: 5ff2c072f8099f2d2ce484bd6957bf179f046d2ad37bc36555edf8bb84cb5291
Import run: 73216b9a9b78ed3830994bf853103716f5a4dc57099e371e9f8fdc468facca26
Permanent entry ID: w-ZHdhbGU