bretwalda

English

Etymology

Learned borrowing from Old English bretwalda.

Noun

bretwalda (plural bretwaldas)

1. (historical) A title given to some of the rulers of Anglo-Saxon kingdoms from the 5th century onwards who had achieved overlordship of some or all of the other Anglo-Saxon kingdoms.

Anagrams

• tableward

Old English

Alternative forms

• brȳtenwalda, brȳtenwealda, brētenānwealda

Etymology

First attested in the 9th century, but applied to kings who ruled from the 5th century onward. From an adjective brytten (“wide”) and walda (“ruler, wielder”).

The original meaning of the title is thus "wide-ruler", but it was reinterpreted, likely at an early period predating its 9th-century attestation, as containing the name Britain and understood in the sense of "ruler of Britain". The title rex Britanniae "king of Britain" is used by Æthelbald of Mercia in 736, who at the same time is also recorded as a bretwalda.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈbretˌwɑl.dɑ/, [ˈbretˌwɑɫ.dɑ]

Noun

bretwalda m

1. title of certain Anglo-Saxon kings

Declension

Weak:

	singular	plural
nominative	bretwalda	bretwaldan
accusative	bretwaldan	bretwaldan
genitive	bretwaldan	bretwaldena
dative	bretwaldan	bretwaldum