Where does “wal” come from?

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

wal (Middle High German): a whale

Definitions

  1. a whale

Ancestry of “wal”, step by step

wal traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.

via Old High German wal

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

via Latin vallum

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Latinvallumwall, rampart, entrenchment
2Proto-Indo-Europeanwēl-to see, perceive

Words derived from “wal”

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