Where does “pikkuvalas” come from?

pikkuvalas (Finnish) comes from Finnish valas, from Proto-Samic fālēs, from Proto-Germanic hwalaz, from Proto-Indo-European (s)kʷálos — large fish; sheatfish.

pikkuvalas (Finnish): pygmy right whale, Caperea marginata

Definitions

  1. pygmy right whale, Caperea marginata

Ancestry of “pikkuvalas”, step by step

pikkuvalas traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.

via Finnish valas

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Finnishvalaswhale
2Proto-Samicfālēswhale
3Proto-Germanichwalazwhale, sheatfish
4Proto-Indo-European(s)kʷáloslarge fish; sheatfish

via Finnish pikku

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Finnishpikkulittle, small; little old
2Finnishpienilittle, small; Third-person singular indicative...
3Proto-Finnicpeenilittle, small; fine
Every word from Proto-Indo-European (s)kʷálos →
pikkuvalas — Etymology, Origin & Word History | Etymology Explorer