Where does “hvalfangst” come from?

hvalfangst (Norwegian Bokmål) comes from Norwegian Bokmål hval, from Danish hval, from Old Norse hvalr, from Proto-Germanic hwalaz, from Proto-Indo-European (s)kʷálos — large fish; sheatfish.

hvalfangst (Norwegian Bokmål): whaling

Definitions

  1. whaling

Ancestry of “hvalfangst”, step by step

hvalfangst traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.

via Norwegian Bokmål hval

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Norwegian Bokmålhvala whale
2Danishhvalwhale
3Old Norsehvalrwhale
4Proto-Germanichwalazwhale, sheatfish
5Proto-Indo-European(s)kʷáloslarge fish; sheatfish

via Norwegian Bokmål fangst

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Norwegian Bokmålfangsta catch
2Middle Low Germanvangst—
Every word from Proto-Indo-European (s)kʷálos →Every word from Proto-Germanic hwalaz →Every word from Old Norse hvalr →