Where does “hval” come from?
hval (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.
hval (Swedish): Obsolete spelling of val
Ancestry of “hval”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | Swedish | val | whale; an election; a choice |
| 2 | Old Swedish | hval | whale |
| 3 | Old Norse | hvalr | whale |
| 4 | Proto-Germanic | hwalaz | whale, sheatfish |
| 5 | Proto-Indo-European | (s)kʷálos | large fish; sheatfish |