Where does “wal” come from?

wal (Dutch) comes from Middle Dutch wal, from Old Dutch wal, from Proto-Germanic Wahalaz, from Latin vacalus — now the Waal.

wal (Dutch): coast, shore; earthen levee as protection against...

Definitions

  1. coast, shore; earthen levee as protection against...

Ancestry of “wal”, step by step

wal traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.

via Middle Dutch wal

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Middle Dutchwalwhale
2Old Dutchwalwhale
3Proto-GermanicWahalazthe river Waal
4Latinvacalusnow the Waal

via Latin vallum

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Latinvallumwall, rampart, entrenchment
2Proto-Indo-Europeanwēl-to see, perceive

Words derived from “wal”

Every word from Latin vacalus →Every word from Proto-Germanic Wahalaz →Every word from Old Dutch wal →