Where does “baleen” come from?
Baleen derives from Old French baleine, from Latin balaena, from Ancient Greek φάλαινα, ultimately from Proto-Indo-European bʰel-.
baleen (English): The bony material that makes up the plates in the...
Definitions
- The bony material that makes up the plates in the...
Ancestry of “baleen”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | Middle English | baleyne | — |
| 2 | Old French | baleine | whale |
| 3 | Latin | bālaena | — |
| 4 | Ancient Greek | φάλαινα | whale |
| 5 | Proto-Indo-European | bʰleh₃- | bloom, flower |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | bʰel- | to sound; to speak, roar, bark; shiny, white; to... |
| 7 | Proto-Indo-European | bʰōl- | — |