Walrus
/ˈwɔːl.rəs/noun
A large Arctic marine mammal with long tusks, whiskers, and thick skin.
Did you know?The word entered English through Dutch and related North Germanic forms, and its second element is the same ancient word family behind German Ross and English horse, giving this Arctic beast an unexpectedly equine shadow.
Etymological Timeline
Old Norse
ON
hrosshvalr
“literally “horse-whale,” a name for the walrus”
Middle Dutch / Low German
NL/Low German
walrus / walros
“walrus, likely influenced by the older North Germanic form”
16th Century
English
walrus
“a large tusked marine mammal of the Arctic”
Modern English
English
walrus
“the standard modern word for the animal”