Where does “narwal” come from?

narwal (Dutch) comes from Old Norse náhvalr, from Old Norse Nár, from Proto-Germanic nawiz, from Proto-Indo-European neh₂wis, from Proto-Indo-European neh₂u-, from Proto-Indo-European néh₂us, from Proto-Indo-European (s)neh₂- — to swim; to float.

narwal (Dutch): narwhal, "Monodon monoceros"

Definitions

  1. narwhal, "Monodon monoceros"

Ancestry of “narwal”, step by step

narwal traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.

via Old Norse náhvalr

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Old Norsenáhvalrcorpse whale
2Old NorseNárname of a dwarf
3Proto-Germanicnawizcorpse
4Proto-Indo-Europeanneh₂wiscorpse
5Proto-Indo-Europeanneh₂u-death; death; corpse; ship, boat
6Proto-Indo-Europeannéh₂usboat
7Proto-Indo-European(s)neh₂-to swim; to float

via Danish narhval

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Danishnarhvalnarwhal
2Old Norsehvalrwhale
3Proto-Germanichwalazwhale, sheatfish
4Proto-Indo-European(s)kʷáloslarge fish; sheatfish

Words derived from “narwal”

Every word from Proto-Indo-European (s)neh₂- →Every word from Proto-Indo-European néh₂us →Every word from Proto-Indo-European neh₂u- →
narwal — Etymology, Origin & Word History | Etymology Explorer