Where does “bruinvis” come from?

bruinvis (Dutch) comes from Dutch bruin, from Middle Dutch bruun, from Old Dutch brūn, from Proto-West Germanic brūn, from Proto-Germanic brūnaz, from Proto-Indo-European bʰerH- — to pierce; to strike; brown.

bruinvis (Dutch): any porpoise, marine mammal of the family Phocoenidae certain small cetacean

Definitions

  1. any porpoise, marine mammal of the family Phocoenidae certain small cetacean

Ancestry of “bruinvis”, step by step

bruinvis traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.

via Dutch bruin

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Dutchbruinbrown; the color brown; heroin
2Middle Dutchbruunbrown; A bear character in the story of Reynard...
3Old Dutchbrūnbrown
4Proto-West Germanicbrūnbrown
5Proto-Germanicbrūnazbrown
6Proto-Indo-EuropeanbʰerH-to pierce; to strike; brown

via Dutch vis

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Dutchvisfish
2Middle Dutchvischfish
3Old Dutchfiscfish
4Proto-West Germanicfiskfish
5Proto-Germanicfiskazfish
6Indo-European*peysk-—
Every word from Proto-Indo-European bʰerH- →