Where does “ryhävalas” come from?

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

ryhävalas (Finnish): humpback whale

Definitions

  1. humpback whale

Ancestry of “ryhävalas”, step by step

ryhävalas 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 ryhä

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Finnishryhähump, lump
2Finnishruhocarcass, dead body
Every word from Proto-Indo-European (s)kʷálos →Every word from Proto-Germanic hwalaz →Every word from Proto-Samic fālēs →
ryhävalas — Etymology, Origin & Word History | Etymology Explorer