Where does “Wal” come from?

Wal (Luxembourgish) comes from German wal, from Middle High German wal, from Old High German wal, from Proto-West Germanic hwal, from Proto-Germanic hwalaz, from Proto-Indo-European (s)kʷálos — large fish; sheatfish.

Wal (Luxembourgish): whale; election; forest

Definitions

  1. whale; election; forest

Ancestry of “Wal”, step by step

Wal traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.

via German wal

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Germanwalwhale
2Middle High Germanwala whale
3Old High Germanwalbattlefield
4Proto-West Germanichwalwhale
5Proto-Germanichwalazwhale, sheatfish
6Proto-Indo-European(s)kʷáloslarge fish; sheatfish

via Old High German wald

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Old High Germanwaldforest
2Proto-West Germanicwalþuforest
3Proto-Germanicwalþuzforest
4Proto-Indo-Europeanwel-to see
Every word from Proto-Indo-European (s)kʷálos →Every word from Proto-Germanic hwalaz →Every word from Proto-West Germanic hwal →
Wal — Etymology, Origin & Word History | Etymology Explorer