Where does “whale” come from?

whale (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.

whale (Middle English): A whale or cetacean; A oceanic monster; The meat...

Definitions

  1. A whale or cetacean; A oceanic monster; The meat...

Ancestry of “whale”, step by step

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

Words derived from “whale”

Every word from Proto-Indo-European (s)kʷálos →Every word from Proto-Germanic hwalaz →Every word from Proto-West Germanic hwal →