-aud m (feminine -aude)
From Middle French -aud, from Old French -alt, -ault (later -aud) (compare Medieval Latin -aldus), from Frankish *-wald, suffixal note of Frankish *wald (“power, mastery, dominion”), from Proto-Germanic *waldaz, *waldą (“rule, authority”), from Proto-Indo-European *welə-, *wele- (“to be strong, possess”). Cognate with Old High German giwalt (“power, might”), Old Dutch gewalt, Old English wealda (“power, dominion, mastery”).