Anweald

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. Authority, control, or sway exercised over a people, territory, or thing in Old English usage
2. The dominion or mastery one holds over others, as expressed in the Old English word for power
3. Rule or command that a ruler or lord held over subjects, lands, or possessions in early English

Etymology: In Old English, "anweald" meant power, authority, or dominion, the sense of having something firmly in one's hands. It was built from "an," meaning "one" or "single," and "weald," a noun from the verb "wealdan," "to rule, to have power over." Old English writers used it for both political sovereignty and control over a thing or a situation, so a phrase like being "in someone's anweald" meant being under their command. The verb "wealdan" survives in modern English as "wield." Its original sense of ruling or commanding faded into the idea of handling a weapon or tool, but the older meaning of authority is still visible in the root. "Anweald" itself did not survive into modern English and is now found only in dictionaries and in studies of Old English texts.