English word origin

Etymology of wheal

From Middle English whele (“boil”), from Old English *hwele (“boil”); related to Old English hwelian (“to fester, ulcerate”). Compare also Old English hwelca, hwylca (“an inflamed swelling, pustule”).

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 ↗

verb

Synonym of wale.

noun

A small raised swelling on the skin, often itchy, caused by a blow from a whip or an insect bite etc.

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

Relationships mentioned by the source

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

Inherited-form mentionwheleenm · boil
Inherited-form mention*hweleang · boil
Cognate mentionhwelianang · to fester, ulcerate
Cognate mentionhwelcaang

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": "whele",
        "id": "boil",
        "t": "boil"
      },
      "expansion": "Middle English whele (“boil”)"
    },
    {
      "name": "inh",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "ang",
        "3": "*hwele",
        "t": "boil"
      },
      "expansion": "Old English *hwele (“boil”)"
    },
    {
      "name": "cog",
      "args": {
        "1": "ang",
        "2": "hwelian",
        "t": "to fester, ulcerate"
      },
      "expansion": "Old English hwelian (“to fester, ulcerate”)"
    },
    {
      "name": "cog",
      "args": {
        "1": "ang",
        "2": "hwelca"
      },
      "expansion": "Old English hwelca"
    }
  ],
  "links": [
    [
      "whele",
      "whele#Middle_English:_boil"
    ],
    [
      "*hwele",
      "Reconstruction:Old English/hwele"
    ],
    [
      "hwelian",
      "hwelian#Old_English"
    ],
    [
      "hwelca",
      "hwelca#Old_English"
    ],
    [
      "hwylca",
      "hwylca#Old_English"
    ]
  ],
  "references": [],
  "descendants": [],
  "lexical": [
    {
      "pos": "verb",
      "glosses": [
        "Synonym of wale."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "uncommon"
      ],
      "recordId": "629f9d56fe7397e1ed957bd6ceb6bee22b8f0d7d0428dbbe348ad411bb2f54f1",
      "rawRecordSha256": "5e01ed22a425433f15450c5e6aac254ddccbd4547e244bd6bb1df1d1659bc116",
      "sourceRecordOrdinal": 299014
    },
    {
      "pos": "noun",
      "glosses": [
        "A small raised swelling on the skin, often itchy, caused by a blow from a whip or an insect bite etc."
      ],
      "tags": [],
      "recordId": "b2f33cc62cb6a57ccedd9159fa96ddf90b4a6dfbf74328ec363a49136741fb26",
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  ],
  "omittedAuxiliaryFields": {
    "templates": 0,
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    "lexicalRecords": 0,
    "lexicalSenses": 0,
    "glosses": 0
  }
}

Source etymology 2

Original entry ↗

noun

A mine.

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

Borrowed from Cornish hwel.

Relationships mentioned by the source

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

Borrowed-form mentionhwelkw

Inspect preserved source fields

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

{
  "templates": [
    {
      "name": "bor+",
      "args": {
        "1": "en",
        "2": "kw",
        "3": "hwel"
      },
      "expansion": "Borrowed from Cornish hwel"
    }
  ],
  "links": [
    [
      "hwel",
      "hwel#Cornish"
    ]
  ],
  "references": [],
  "descendants": [],
  "lexical": [
    {
      "pos": "noun",
      "glosses": [
        "A mine."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "Australia",
        "Cornwall",
        "South"
      ],
      "recordId": "6756f311aa3af4bd3f52fdede1ade98f47d85e2097ee958acd04e1c19e5db883",
      "rawRecordSha256": "e2220f5e674e24764798b8142a7da8761cf99754b591c2dbc7782b613f2eae21",
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    }
  ],
  "omittedAuxiliaryFields": {
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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 wheal →

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-d2hlYWw