Where does “wał” come from?
wał (Polish) comes from German wal, from Middle High German wal, from Old High German wal, from Proto-West Germanic hwal, from Proto-Germanic hwalaz, from Proto-Indo-European (s)kʷálos — large fish; sheatfish.
wał (Polish): levee; embankment; shaft
Ancestry of “wał”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | German | wal | — |
| 2 | Middle High German | wal | — |
| 3 | Old High German | wal | battlefield |
| 4 | Proto-West Germanic | hwal | whale |
| 5 | Proto-Germanic | hwalaz | whale, sheatfish |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | (s)kʷálos | large fish; sheatfish |