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

Definitions

  1. levee; embankment; shaft

Ancestry of “wał”, step by step

wał traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.

via German wal

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Germanwalwhale
2Middle High Germanwala whale
3Old High Germanwalbattlefield
4Proto-West Germanichwalwhale
5Proto-Germanichwalazwhale, sheatfish
6Proto-Indo-European(s)kʷáloslarge fish; sheatfish

via Proto-Slavic valъ

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Proto-Slavicvalъroll, slump, downturn
2Proto-Indo-EuropeanwēlH-to roll, to undulate
3Proto-Indo-EuropeanwelH-to turn, to wind

Words derived from “wał”

Every word from Proto-Indo-European (s)kʷálos →Every word from Proto-Germanic hwalaz →Every word from Proto-West Germanic hwal →
wał — Etymology, Origin & Word History | Etymology Explorer