Wat
WOT
A medieval English pet form meaning “powerful warrior,” later familiarized in names like Walter.
Meaning
In the excerpted 19th-century name books, Wat is given as an English/Germanic masculine form meaning “powerful warrior.” It is also treated as a very old contraction, especially associated with Walter in later English use. The sources suggest it functioned as a nickname or shortened form rather than a full baptismal name.
Origin
EnglishGermanicmasculine
Fun fact
The excerpt notes that Wat was already being used as a contraction in very early English usage, and even appears in Shakespeare’s time in the form Water.