Where does “nəhəng” come from?

nəhəng (Azerbaijani) comes from Persian نهنگ, from Middle Persian 𐫗𐫍𐫗𐫃, from Proto-Iranian niθanga-, from Proto-Iranian ni-, from Proto-Indo-Iranian ní, from Proto-Indo-European ni — down.

nəhəng (Azerbaijani): giant

Definitions

  1. giant

Ancestry of “nəhəng”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Persianنهنگcrocodile or hippopotamus; whale; Synonym: وال
2Middle Persian𐫗𐫍𐫗𐫃crocodile hippopotamus
3Proto-Iranianniθanga-—
4Proto-Iranianni-down
5Proto-Indo-Iraniannídown, downwards; in, into
6Proto-Indo-Europeannidown
Every word from Proto-Indo-European ni →Every word from Proto-Indo-Iranian ní →Every word from Proto-Iranian ni- →