Obs. exc. dial. Forms: 1 weallan, 2–5 walle-n, 7– wall. Pa. t. 1 wéol(l, 3 weol, wul, 4 wel; weak 4 wallede, 7– walled. [OE. weallan redupl. str. vb. (pa. t. wéoll, pa. pple. ʓeweallen) corresp. to OFris. walla to well up (WFris. walle to boil), MFlem. wallen (Kilian) to well up (mod.Flem. to boil), OS. wallan str. vb., to boil up, gush forth (MLG. wallen), OHG. wallan str. vb., to boil, gush forth (MHG. wallen str., mod.G. wk., to boil, be agitated, swarm, etc.). The transitive uses do not occur in OE., and as they are found only with the weak conjugation, it is possible that they descend not from OE. weallan, but from wællan var. of wiellan, węllan WELL v.; cf. mod. Sc. wall (WELL sb.) repr. OE. wælla var. of wiella. The transitive senses below are closely paralleled by those of WELL v. and its equivalents in other Teut. langs.
The Teut. *wallan (:—*waln-) redupl. vb. with the sense ‘to boil, bubble up’ is confined to WGer.; but a cogn. and synonymous *wellan str. vb. exists in ON. vella (vall, ollenn), MSw. välla str. vb. (Sw. välla, Da. vælde wk. vbs.), and a causative type *walljan wk. vb. in ON. vella (Sw. välla) to boil (trans.), to weld = MHG. wellen, OE. wiellan: see WELL, WELD vbs. For other Teut. derivatives of the root in the same specific sense see WALM, WELL sb.; cf. also Goth. wulan to be fervent. It is probable that the sense ‘to boil, bubble, well up’ is developed from the sense ‘to roll,’ which belongs to the root *wel- in Teut. and Indogermanic (see WALLOW v.); for the form *well- cf. OHG. wella roller, axle (MHG., mod.G. welle), wellan str. vb. trans. to roll.]
† 1. intr. Of a liquid: To boil. Also of a person: To be in boiling liquid. Obs.
c. 1000. Sax. Leechd., II. 358. Do ofer fyr, awyl; þonne hit wealle, sing iii. pater noster.
c. 1200. Moral Ode, 249 (Trin. MS.). Þar is pich þat afre walleð [MS. Egerton wealð].
c. 1200. Ormin, 10507. To bærnnenn & to wallenn Wiþþ deofless dun in hellegrund.
c. 1250. Song Passion, 45, in O. E. Misc., 198. Wallen in helle dep nere neuere so swet wit alle.
† b. fig. To ‘boil’ with passion. (Cf. WALLING ppl. a.) Obs.
Beowulf, 2113. Hreðer inne weoll, Þonne he wintrum frod worn ʓemunde.
a. 1225. Leg. Kath., 1926. Þe king weol al inwið of wreððe.
a. 1225. Ancr. R., 118. Þeo hwule þet te heorte walleð wiðinnen of wreððe, nis þer no riht dom.
† 2. Of liquids: To bubble up; to well up, flow abundantly. Of the sea, waves: To boil up, rage.
c. 893. K. Ælfred, Oros., IV. iii. Mon ʓeseah weallan blod of eorþan.
c. 1200. Trin. Coll. Hom., 167. At eche wunde wul ut atter.
1297. R. Glouc. (Rolls), 662. As þe water deþ vp walle.
c. 1315. Shoreham, Poems, III. 28. Syker þou myȝt be of þat lond Þar melke and hony walleþ.
c. 1330. King of Tars, 1087. Þe blod out of his wounde wel.
1362. Langl., P. Pl., A. V. 71. Venim or vernisch or vinegre, I trouwe, Walleþ in my wombe or waxeþ, ich wene.
c. 1450. Mirk’s Festial, 9. Out of þe whech tombe manna and oyle walleþ out yfere.
fig. c. 1449. Pecock, Repr., IV. iii. 432. Thes … causis, out of whiche wallen the seid yuelis.
† b. To swarm (with vermin). Obs.
c. 1000. Ælfric, Saints’ Lives, iv. 212. On blindum cwearterne … þær manna lic laʓon, þe wæran ær acwealde … þa weollon eall maðon.
c. 1050. Voc., in Wr.-Wülcker, 531/22. Scatens, weallende [gl. Aldh. Laud. Virg. (poet.) lxxxix. scatens vermibus].
1387. Trevisa, Higden (Rolls), V. 235. He wallede ful of wormes [L. vermibus scatens].
3. trans. To boil. Cf. WELL v.
See pot-walling, quot. 1456 s.v. POT-WALLOPING.
c. 1310. S. Margaret, 287, in Horstm., Altengl. Leg. (1881), 232. Takeþ and walleþ oyle and lete opon hir renne.
b. absol. To boil brine in salt-making.
1600. [Implied in WALLER2].
1669. Phil. Trans., IV. 1063. They seldom Wall, that is, make Salt, in above 6 Houses at a time.
4. intr. To weld, become welded; fig. to blend. Cf. WELL, WELD vbs.
1629. Sir W. Mure, True Crucifixe, 2692. Pleasure in Him and fleshlie pleasure fall So foull at strife, they can, nor mixe, nor wall.
