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Webster 1913 Edition

Weal

Weal

,
Noun.
The mark of a stripe. See
Wale
.

Weal

,
Verb.
T.
To mark with stripes. See
Wale
.

Weal

,
Noun.
[OE.
wele
, AS.
wela
,
weola
, wealth, from
wel
well. See
Well
,
adv.
, and cf.
Wealth
.]
1.
A sound, healthy, or prosperous state of a person or thing; prosperity; happiness; welfare.
God . . . grant you
wele
and prosperity.
Chaucer.
As we love the
weal
of our souls and bodies.
Bacon.
To him linked in
weal
or woe.
Milton.
Never was there a time when it more concerned the public
weal
that the character of the Parliament should stand high.
Macaulay.
2.
The body politic; the state; common wealth.
[Obs.]
The special watchmen of our English
weal
.
Shakespeare

Weal

,
Verb.
T.
To promote the weal of; to cause to be prosperous.
[Obs.]
Beau. & Fl.

Webster 1828 Edition

Weal

WEAL

,
Noun.
[G., L., to be strong, to avail, to prevail. The primary sense of weal is strength, soundness, from the sense of straining, stretching or advancing.]
1.
A sound state of a person or thing; a state which is prosperous, or at least not unfortunate, not declining; prosperity; happiness.
As we love the weal of our souls and bodies.
The weal or wo in thee is placd.
So we say, the public weal, the general weal, the weal of the nation or state.
2.
Republic; state; public interest. [But we now use commonwealth, in the sense of state.]

WEAL

,
Noun.
The mark of a stripe. [See Wale.] Weald, wald, walt, wold, in Saxon and other Teutonic dialects, signifies a wood or forest. It is found in names, as in Walt-ham, wood-house; corruptly pronounced Waltham.

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