Meaning

noun a raised mark on the skin (as produced by the blow of a whip); characteristic of many allergic reactions

noun thick plank forming a ridge along the side of a wooden ship

originThe noun is from Middle English wāle (“planking, welt”), from Old English walu (“ridge, bank; rib, comb (of helmet); metal ridge on top of helmet; weal, mark of a blow”), from Proto-Germanic *waluz (“stick, root”), from Proto-Indo-European *welH- (“to turn, wind, roll”). Akin to Low German wāle; Old Norse vala (“knuckle”). The verb is from late Middle English wālen, from the noun.

Etymology from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 3.0