whale English · revision 13500

− It is [[inh|ang|hwæl]] (before 899, in Alfred's Orosius),^(Barnhart 1988)^(Etymonline)^(Hoad 1986) from [[m|gem-pro|*hwalaz]],^(Barnhart 1988)^(Etymonline) cognate with Old Saxon hwal, Dutch walvis, German Wal, Walfisch, and Old Norse hvalr;^(Barnhart 1988)^(Etymonline)^(Hoad 1986) Barnhart derives it from an Indo-European word for a large sea fish,^(Barnhart 1988) and Merriam-Webster compares Latin squalus, a sea fish.^(MWU 2024) The modern form continues the oblique cases of Old English hwæl.^(Hoad 1986) [[walrus]] contains the same word.^(Barnhart 1988)