An obsolete or dialectal past tense form meaning 'ruled over' or 'held dominion,' from the verb 'wield.'
Archaic past tense possibly from Old English wieldan (to hold, wield) with the ā- prefix. The form suggests dialectal or Middle English variations of control or governance.
This forgotten word shows how English past tenses used to be much more varied—'awalt' reminds us that irregular verbs were even messier centuries ago, with regional variations now completely lost.
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