An Etymological Dictionary of the German Language/Annotated/walten

by Friedrich Kluge

walten, verb, ‘to dispose, manage, govern,’ from the equivalent Middle High German walten, Old High German waltan, strong verb; corresponding to Old Saxon and Gothic waldan, Old Icelandic valda, Anglo-Saxon wealdan, gewyldan, English to wield. Teutonic waldan (from pre-Teutonic waltá-) has a t which properly belonged to the present stem, but was afterwards attached to the verbal stem; compare the Old Icelandic preterite olla, from a Teutonic base *wol-þô-m, ‘I governed.’ The root wal is also indicated by Latin valere, ‘to be strong,’ as well as Old Irish flaith, ‘dominion.’ The allied Slavonic words seem to have been borrowed at an early period from Teutonic; compare Old Slovenian vlada (vlasti) and Lithuanian valdýti, ‘to govern,’ valadóvas, ‘ruler,’ pavilděti, ‘to possess,’ velděti, ‘to acquire.’