Wallachia

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A historical region located in present-day Romania, known for its rich cultural heritage and medieval history
2. A geographical area in southeastern Europe that played a significant role in the development of Romanian identity and politics
3. An important cultural and historical province in Romania, often recognized for its picturesque landscapes and historical landmarks

Etymology: Wallachia is a proper noun, so its story is the story of a people's name becoming a place name. The Romanian form "Valahia" is built on "Vlach," the name by which Slavic-speaking neighbours and others referred to the Romance-speaking peoples of the Balkans, and the suffix "-ia" is the familiar one used to turn a people's name into a land: the same pattern gives "Bulgaria" from "Bulgar" and "Russia" from "Rus." The English form was borrowed from that Romanian name, so the region is named after a people rather than after a geographic feature. The word "Vlach" itself is older and wider than the principality. It was used across medieval Europe for speakers of Romance languages in the Balkans, and its roots are usually traced to a Germanic term for "foreigner" or "Romance speaker," which links it to "Welsh" and "Walloon" through the same root. The name therefore began as an outsider's label before a territory came to carry it.