Etymology Explorer › Swedish

Where does “grindval” come from?

grindval (Swedish) comes from Swedish val, from Old Swedish hval, from Old Norse hvalr, from Proto-Germanic hwalaz, from Proto-Indo-European (s)kʷálos — large fish; sheatfish.

grindval (Swedish): a pilot whale

Definitions

  1. a pilot whale

Ancestry of “grindval”, step by step

StepLanguageWordMeaning
1Swedishvalwhale; an election; a choice
2Old Swedishhvalwhale
3Old Norsehvalrwhale
4Proto-Germanichwalazwhale, sheatfish
5Proto-Indo-European(s)kʷáloslarge fish; sheatfish
Every word from Proto-Indo-European (s)kʷálos →