Where does “horshwæl” come from?

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

horshwæl (Old English): walrus

Definitions

  1. walrus

Ancestry of “horshwæl”, step by step

horshwæl traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.

via Old English hwæl

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

via Old English hors

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Old Englishhorshorse
2Proto-West Germanichrosshorse
3Proto-Germanichrussąhorse
4Proto-Indo-Europeanḱers-to run
Every word from Proto-Indo-European (s)kʷálos →Every word from Proto-Germanic hwalaz →Every word from Proto-West Germanic hwal →