hwæl

Middle English

Noun

hwæl

(Early Middle English) Alternative form of whale

Old English

A scale model of a blue whale.

Alternative forms

hƿæl

Etymology

From Proto-Germanic *hwalaz (compare Old Saxon hwal, Old High German wal, Old Norse hvalr), probably from Proto-Indo-European *(s)kʷálos (“sheatfish”). Another theory suggests it is perhaps akin to Finnish kala, from Proto-Uralic *kala.

Pronunciation

IPA^(key): /hwæl/

Noun

hwæl m

a whale

Declension

Declension of hwæl (strong a-stem)

Case	Singular	Plural
nominative	hwæl	hwalas
accusative	hwæl	hwalas
genitive	hwæles	hwala
dative	hwæle	hwalum

Derived terms

horshwæl (“walrus”)
hwælhunta (“whaler”)
hwælhuntaþ (“whaling”)
hwælmere (“the sea”)
hwælweġ (“the ocean”)

Descendants

Middle English: whale
- English: whale
- Scots: whaul

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