Where does “whalefall” come from?
whalefall (English) comes from English whale, from Middle English whal, from Old English hwæl, from Proto-West Germanic hwal, from Proto-Germanic hwalaz, from Proto-Indo-European (s)kʷálos — large fish; sheatfish.
whalefall (English): A whale carcass that has fallen to the ocean...
Definitions
- A whale carcass that has fallen to the ocean...
Ancestry of “whalefall”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | English | whale | Any of several species of large sea mammals of... |
| 2 | Middle English | whal | — |
| 3 | Old English | hwæl | a whale |
| 4 | Proto-West Germanic | hwal | whale |
| 5 | Proto-Germanic | hwalaz | whale, sheatfish |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | (s)kʷálos | large fish; sheatfish |