Where does “whal” come from?

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

whal (Middle English): A whale or cetacean

Definitions

  1. A whale or cetacean

Ancestry of “whal”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Old Englishhwæla whale
2Proto-West Germanichwalwhale
3Proto-Germanichwalazwhale, sheatfish
4Proto-Indo-European(s)kʷáloslarge fish; sheatfish

Words derived from “whal”

Every word from Proto-Indo-European (s)kʷálos →Every word from Proto-Germanic hwalaz →Every word from Proto-West Germanic hwal →
whal — Etymology, Origin & Word History | Etymology Explorer