E. Cobham Brewer 1810–1897. Dictionary of Phrase and Fable. 1898.
Wales.
The older form is Wealhas (plural of Wealh), an Anglo-Saxon word denoting foreigners, and applied by them to the ancient Britons; hence, also, Corn-wall, the horn occupied by the same “refugees.” Wälschland is a German name for Italy; Valais are the non-German districts of Switzerland; the parts about Liège constitute the Walloon country. The Welsh proper are Cimbri, and those driven thither by the Teutonic invaders were refugees or strangers. (See WALNUT.)
