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

Definitions

  1. baleen whale

Ancestry of “skíðhvalur”, step by step

skíðhvalur traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.

via Icelandic hvalur

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Icelandichvalurwhale
2Old Norsehvalrwhale
3Proto-Germanichwalazwhale, sheatfish
4Proto-Indo-European(s)kʷáloslarge fish; sheatfish

via Icelandic skíð

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Icelandicskíða billet of wood
Every word from Proto-Indo-European (s)kʷálos →Every word from Proto-Germanic hwalaz →Every word from Old Norse hvalr →