Where does “quale” come from?

quale (Middle English) comes from Middle English whale, from Old English hwæl, from Proto-West Germanic hwal, from Proto-Germanic hwalaz, from Proto-Indo-European (s)kʷálos — large fish; sheatfish.

quale (Middle English): Alternative form of whale

Definitions

  1. Alternative form of whale

Ancestry of “quale”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Middle EnglishwhaleA whale or cetacean; A oceanic monster; The meat...
2Old Englishhwæla whale
3Proto-West Germanichwalwhale
4Proto-Germanichwalazwhale, sheatfish
5Proto-Indo-European(s)kʷáloslarge fish; sheatfish
Every word from Proto-Indo-European (s)kʷálos →Every word from Proto-Germanic hwalaz →Every word from Proto-West Germanic hwal →