weal

¹ American  

[weel] / wil /

noun

1. well-being, prosperity, or happiness.

   the public weal;

   weal and woe.

2. Obsolete. wealth or riches.

3. Obsolete. the body politic; the state.

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weal ² American  

[weel] / wil /

noun

1. wheal.

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weal ¹ British  

/ wiːl /

noun

1. archaic prosperity or wellbeing (now esp in the phrases the public weal, the common weal )

2. obsolete the state

3. obsolete wealth

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weal ² British  

/ wiːl /

noun

1. Also called: wale.   welt.   wheal.  a raised mark on the surface of the body produced by a blow

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Etymology

Origin of weal¹

First recorded before 900; Middle English wele, Old English wela; akin to well ¹

Origin of weal²

Variant of wale ¹, with ea of wheal

Example Sentences

As a result of its big-picture status as a niche industry, sports’ impact on the public weal is modest, except to entertain those who find joy in it.

From Washington Post • Jun. 30, 2021

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

There is no need to animadvert to the deeds of that day, which shall resound, for weal or woe, as long as this terrestrial globe has habitation.

From "The Astonishing Life of Octavian Nothing, Traitor to the Nation, Volume I: The Pox Party" by M.T. Anderson