walvis

Meaning

whale, mammal of the order Cetacea

Concepts

whale

🐳

cetacean

Synonyms

walvisachtigen

Translations

baleine

🐳

Wal

🐳

ballena

🐳

baleia

🐳

balena

🐳

φάλαινα

balena

🐳

balaena

balina

🐳

Walfisch

🐳

cetáceo

hûf

balîna

🐳

neheng hût

Pronounced as (IPA)

/ˈʋɑl.vɪs/

Etymology

Inherited from Middle Dutch: walvisch

Inherited from Old Dutch: walvisk

Cognate with Western Frisian: walfisk

Cognate with German: Walfisch

In summary

From Middle Dutch walvisch, from Old Dutch walvisk, from *wal (“whale”), presumably to clarify the meaning. Equivalent to wal (“whale”) + vis (“fish”). Old Dutch *wal is from Proto-West Germanic *hwal, from Proto-Germanic *hwalaz, from Proto-Indo-European *(s)kʷálos (“sheatfish”). See also waldier, walrus, grindewal.
Cognate with West Frisian walfisk, German Walfisch. The simple form is cognate with German Wal, English whale, Danish hval, Swedish val.