Whale
/weɪl/noun
A very large marine mammal.
Did you know?Whale traces back to a Proto-Indo-European root meaning “to turn, roll,” the same ancient idea behind words for rolling and revolving, which may reflect how these massive animals move through the water.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*wel-
“to turn, roll”
Proto-Germanic
PGmc
*hwalaz
“whale”
Old English
OE
hwæl
“whale”
Middle English
ME
whale
“whale”
Modern English
English
whale
“a very large marine mammal”