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weal

 - 12 dictionary results

weal

1  [weel]
Use weal in a Sentence
–noun
1. well-being, prosperity, or happiness: the public weal; weal and woe.
2. Obsolete. wealth or riches.
3. Obsolete. the body politic; the state.
Origin:
bef. 900; ME wele, OE wela; akin to well 1

weal

2  [weel]
–noun
wheal.
Origin:
var. of wale 1 , with ea of wheal

wheal

  [hweel, weel]
–noun
1. a small, burning or itching swelling on the skin, as from a mosquito bite or from hives.
2. a wale or welt.
Also, weal.

Origin:
bef. 900; akin to whelk 2 and to obs. wheal (v.), OE hwelian to suppurate, develop wheals
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
Cite This Source Link To weal
weal 1   (wēl)   
n.  

  1. Prosperity; happiness: in weal and woe.

  2. The welfare of the community; the general good: the public weal.


[Middle English wele, from Old English wela; see wel-1 in Indo-European roots.]
weal 2   (wēl)   
n.  A ridge on the flesh raised by a blow; a welt.

[Alteration (influenced by wheal) of wale.]
The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Word Origin & History

weal  (1)
"well-being," O.E. wela "wealth," in late O.E. also "welfare, well-being," from W.Gmc. *welon, from PIE base *wel- "to wish, will" (see will (v.)). Related to well (adv.).

weal  (2)
"raised mark on skin," 1821, alteration of wale (q.v.).

wheal 
"mark made on the skin by a whip," 1808, probably an alteration of wale, possibly by confusion with weal "welt," and obsolete wheal "pimple, pustule" (1440), from O.E. verb hwelian "to form pus, bring to a head."
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
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Medical Dictionary

Main Entry: weal
Pronunciation: 'wE(&)l
Function: noun
: WELT

Main Entry: wheal
Pronunciation: 'hwE(&)l, 'wE(&)l
Function: noun
: a suddenly formed elevation of the skin surface: as a : WELT b : the transient lump occurring at the site of injection of a solution before the solution is normallydispersed c : a flat burning or itching eminence on the skin wheals>
Merriam-Webster's Medical Dictionary, © 2002 Merriam-Webster, Inc.
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Medical Dictionary

weal (wēl)
n.
A ridge on the flesh raised by a blow; a welt.

wheal (wēl)
n.
A small swelling on the skin, as from an insect bite, that usually itches or burns. Also called welt.

The American Heritage® Stedman's Medical Dictionary
Copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Company.
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