Reconstruction:Proto-Germanic/hwalaz

This Proto-Germanic entry contains reconstructed terms and roots. As such, the term(s) in this entry are not directly attested, but are hypothesized to have existed based on comparative evidence.

Proto-Germanic

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈxʷɑ.lɑz/
• Rhymes: -ɑ.lɑz

Etymology 1

From Proto-Indo-European *(s)kʷálos (“large fish, sheatfish”). Compare Latin squalus, Old Prussian kalis, Ancient Greek ἀσπαλιεύς (aspalieús, “fisherman”), Avestan 𐬐𐬀𐬭𐬀 (kara, “kind of fish”).

Noun

*hwalaz m

1. whale

Inflection

Declension of *hwalaz (masculine a-stem)

	singular	plural
nominative	*hwalaz	*hwalōz, *hwalōs
vocative	*hwal	*hwalōz, *hwalōs
accusative	*hwalą	*hwalanz
genitive	*hwalas, *hwalis	*hwalǫ̂
dative	*hwalai	*hwalamaz
instrumental	*hwalō	*hwalamiz

Descendants

• Proto-West Germanic: *hwal
  • Old English: hwæl
    • Middle English: whal, swale, wale, whalle, whale, quale, quall, qwall, qwalle (mainly Northern), whaale (late), qwayll, qwaylle (Catholicon Anglicum), hwæl (Early Middle English)
      • English: whale
      • Scots: whaul
  • Old Saxon: hwal
    • Middle Low German: wal
      • Low German: Waal
  • Old Dutch: *wal
    • Middle Dutch: wal
      • Dutch: wal
  • Old High German: wal
    • Middle High German: wal
      • German: Wal
        • → Estonian: vaal
        • → Luxembourgish: Wal
• Old Norse: hvalr
  • Icelandic: hvalur
  • Faroese: hvalur
  • Norn: hval
  • Norwegian Nynorsk: kval
    • → Norwegian Bokmål: kval
  • Elfdalian: wal
  • Old Swedish: hval
    • Swedish: val
  • Scanian: hval
  • Old Danish: hwal
    • Danish: hval
      • Norwegian Bokmål: hval
  • Gutnish: val
• → Proto-Samic: *fālēs
  • Western Samic:
    • Southern Sami: faala
    • Ume Sami:
    • Pite Sami: fáles
    • Lule Sami: sváles (?)
    • Northern Sami: fális
  • Eastern Samic:
    • Inari Sami: fäälis
    • Skolt Sami: vääʹles
    • Kildin Sami: ва̄лесь (vāl’es’)
    • Ter Sami: valesʹ
  • → Finnish: valas
  • Southern Sami: faelies

Etymology 2

From Proto-Indo-European *(s)kʷálos (“large fish, sheatfish”), from the same source as Etymology 1.

Noun

*hwalaz n

1. sheatfish

Inflection

Declension of *hwalaz (z-stem)

	singular	plural
nominative	*hwalaz	*hwalizō
vocative	*hwalaz	*hwalizō
accusative	*hwalaz	*hwalizō
genitive	*hwaliziz	*hwalizǫ̂
dative	*hwalizi	*hwalizumaz
instrumental	*hwalizē	*hwalizumiz

Descendants

• Proto-West Germanic: *hwal, *hwaliʀu n or m
  • Old Saxon: *hwels
    • Middle Low German: wels, wils m
      • German Low German: Wels
  • Old Dutch: *wels
    • Middle Dutch: *wels, wils m
      • Dutch: wels
  • Old High German: *wals, *wels
    • Middle High German: wels m
      • German: Wels
• ⇒ Proto-West Germanic: *hwalʀā f (< *hwalizǭ)
  • Old Saxon: *hwalra
    • Middle Low German: walre
  • Old High German: walra, walira
    • Middle High German: walre
      • German: Waler (archaic), Waller