Where does “val” come from?

val (Slovak) comes 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.

val (Slovak): bulwark, rampart

Definitions

  1. bulwark, rampart

Ancestry of “val”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Middle High Germanwala whale
2Old High Germanwalbattlefield
3Proto-West Germanichwalwhale
4Proto-Germanichwalazwhale, sheatfish
5Proto-Indo-European(s)kʷáloslarge fish; sheatfish
Every word from Proto-Indo-European (s)kʷálos →Every word from Proto-Germanic hwalaz →Every word from Proto-West Germanic hwal →