Where does “hwælweg” come from?

hwælweg (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.

hwælweg (Old English): the ocean

Definitions

  1. the ocean

Ancestry of “hwælweg”, step by step

hwælweg 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 weġ

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Old Englishweġway; path; way, road, path
2Proto-West Germanicwegway, road
3Proto-Germanicwēgazwave; sea
4Proto-Indo-Europeanweǵʰ-to bring; to transport
Every word from Proto-Indo-European (s)kʷálos →Every word from Proto-Germanic hwalaz →Every word from Proto-West Germanic hwal →