Editing Weald (section)

== Etymology ==
The name "Weald" is derived from the [[Old English]] ''{{linktext|weald}}'', meaning "forest" (cognate of German ''Wald'', but unrelated to English "wood"). This comes from a Germanic root of the same meaning, and ultimately from [[Indo-European languages|Indo-European]]. ''Weald'' is specifically a [[West Sexaon dialect (Old English)|West Saxon]] form; ''[[The Wolds|wold]]'' is the [[Anglian dialects#Dialects|Anglian]] form of the word.{{sfn|Hoad|1996}} The [[Middle English]] form of the word is ''wēld'', and the modern spelling is a reintroduction of the Old English form attributed to its use by [[William Lambarde]] in his ''A Perambulation of Kent'' of 1576.<ref>[[Oxford English Dictionary]], Second edition, 1989</ref>

In early medieval Britain, the area had the name ''Andredes weald'', meaning "the forest of Andred", the latter derived from ''[[Anderitum|Anderida]]'', the Roman name of present-day [[Pevensey]]. The area is also referred to in early English texts as ''Andredesleage'', where the second element, ''leage,'' is another Old English word for "woodland", represented by the modern ''{{linktext|leigh}}''.{{sfn|Ekwall|1991|loc= p.10, p.502}}
The adjective for "Weald" is "wealden".