Where does “ballena” come from?
ballena (Spanish) comes from Old Spanish ballena, from Latin ballaena, from Ancient Greek φάλαινα, from Proto-Indo-European bʰleh₃-, from Proto-Indo-European bʰel-, from Proto-Indo-European bʰōl-.
ballena (Spanish): whale; baleen, whalebone
Ancestry of “ballena”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | Old Spanish | ballena | — |
| 2 | Latin | ballaena | a whale |
| 3 | Ancient Greek | φάλαινα | whale |
| 4 | Proto-Indo-European | bʰleh₃- | bloom, flower |
| 5 | Proto-Indo-European | bʰel- | to sound; to speak, roar, bark; shiny, white; to... |
| 6 | Proto-Indo-European | bʰōl- | — |
Words derived from “ballena”