Where does “walrus” come from?

Walrus comes from Danish hvalros, which combines hval (whale) and ros from Dutch wal, derived from Latin vallum (wall, rampart) and ultimately Proto-Indo-European ḱers-.

walrus (English): A large Arctic marine mammal related to seals and...

Definitions

  1. A large Arctic marine mammal related to seals and...

Ancestry of “walrus”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Dutchwalruswalrus, any member of the family Odobenidae of...
2Danishhvalroswalrus
3Old Norsehrosshvalrwalrus
4Old Norsehrosshorse
5Proto-Germanichursaz—
6Proto-Indo-Europeanḱers-to run

Words derived from “walrus”

Every word from Proto-Indo-European ḱers- →Every word from Proto-Germanic hursaz →Every word from Old Norse hross →