weal
1 Americannoun
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well-being, prosperity, or happiness.
the public weal;
weal and woe.
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Obsolete. wealth or riches.
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Obsolete. the body politic; the state.
noun
noun
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archaic prosperity or wellbeing (now esp in the phrases the public weal, the common weal )
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obsolete the state
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obsolete wealth
noun
Etymology
Origin of weal1
First recorded before 900; Middle English wele, Old English wela; akin to well 1
Origin of weal2
Explanation
A weal is a sore or other mark on the skin. Don't pick up that hot pan without an oven mitt — it will burn you and leave a red weal on your hand. Think of a weal as the painful-looking mark on the skin. In medicine, weal means an itchy, raised rash: "The weals on his neck make me think he's allergic to cats." This noun also has a completely different meaning: it can refer to a state of being content and prosperous, especially when discussing society as a whole. These two meanings of weal have different roots.
Vocabulary lists containing weal
King Lear
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Tolkien Reading Day, List 9
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The Tombs of Atuan
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Yet he did make one enduring contribution to the public weal, if unintentionally.
From Washington Post ● Sep. 16, 2022
By diverting investment towards repairing landscapes and contributing to the public weal, rewilders are taking money away from conventional economic activities.
From The Guardian ● Feb. 25, 2020
Wery good thing is weal pie, when you know the lady as made it, and is quite sure it ain’t kittens.…
From The New Yorker ● Jul. 15, 2015
Politicos can then return to the search for the general weal.
From Economist ● Aug. 30, 2013
She fills a handkerchief with the snow-coat mixture and I hold it to the weal on my cheek.
From "Catching Fire" by Suzanne Collins
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
