Where does “skíðhvalur” come from?
skíðhvalur (Icelandic) comes from Icelandic hvalur, from Old Norse hvalr, from Proto-Germanic hwalaz, from Proto-Indo-European (s)kʷálos — large fish; sheatfish.
skíðhvalur (Icelandic): baleen whale
Ancestry of “skíðhvalur”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | Icelandic | hvalur | whale |
| 2 | Old Norse | hvalr | whale |
| 3 | Proto-Germanic | hwalaz | whale, sheatfish |
| 4 | Proto-Indo-European | (s)kʷálos | large fish; sheatfish |