Silver Cat
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- Jan 12, 2020
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Welsh (=Wales) is an old negative expression from Germanics for Celts. The word slave has nothing to do with it. Someone who spoke "welsh" (celtic) was attribuated to speak gibberish. That it had under Anglo-Saxons the meaning "not free, servile" is new to me.
Old English Wielisc, Wylisc (West Saxon), Welisc, Wælisc (Anglian and Kentish) "foreign; British (not Anglo-Saxon), Welsh; not free, servile," from Wealh, Walh "Celt, Briton, Welshman, non-Germanic foreigner;"
source: welsh | Origin and meaning of the name welsh by Online Etymology Dictionary
One more time: "Welsh; not free, servile". Sounds pretty like "slave".