Want to remove ads? Log in to see fewer ads, and become a Premium Member to remove all ads.

Origin and history of whale

whale(n.)

"marine mammal of fish-like form and habit," especially of the larger types, Old English hwæl "whale," also "walrus," from Proto-Germanic *hwalaz (source also of Old Saxon hwal, Old Norse hvalr, hvalfiskr, Swedish val, Middle Dutch wal, walvisc, Dutch walvis, Old High German wal, German Wal), from PIE *(s)kwal-o- (source also of Latin squalus "a kind of large sea fish").

In popular use it was applied to any large sea animal. Since Middle English also of the biblical Leviathan and the fish that swallowed Jonah. Phrase whale of a "excellent or large example of a" is attested by c. 1900 in student slang.

Whale-boat, a long, narrow type originally used in pursuing whales, is by 1756. Whale-oil is attested from mid-15c. Whale shark, in reference to the largest kind of shark, is from 1884.

whale(v.1)

"take whales, pursue the business of whale-fishing," 1700, from whale (n.). Whale-fishing in this sense is attested from 1570s; also compare whaling (adj.).

also from 1700

whale(v.2)

"beat, whip severely," 1790, colloquial, possibly a variant of wale (v.) "to mark with 'wales' or stripes" (early 15c.), from wale (n.). OED (1989) also suggests "thrash with a whalebone strip." Related: Whaled; whaling.

also from 1790

Entries linking to whale

wale(n.)

Old English walu "ridge, bank" of earth or stone, from Proto-Germanic *walu- (source also of Low German wale "weal," Old Frisian walu "rod, staff, stick," Old Norse völr "round piece of wood," Gothic walus "a staff, stick," Dutch wortel, German wurzel "root").

According to Watkins, this is from PIE root *wel- (3) "to turn, revolve." The common notion in the senses perhaps is "raised line." But Boutkan (2005) finds this "a far-fetched root etymology" and "formally impossible," suggesting instead a derivation from the PIE root of Latin vallus "stake, pole" (see wall (n.)).

It is by late 14c. as "ridge made on flesh by a lash" (compare weal (n.2)). In reference to ridges in textile fabric formed by threads or groups of threads, by 1580s. Related: Waling.

Wales "horizontal planks which extend along a ship's sides," attested from late 13c., represents a separate use of the Old English word.

whaling(n.)

"whale-fishing" as a business, 1716, verbal noun from whale (v.1). Earlier were whale-fishing (1570s); whale-hunting (1610s).

Want to remove ads? Log in to see fewer ads, and become a Premium Member to remove all ads.

Trends of whale

adapted from books.google.com/ngrams/ with a 7-year moving average; ngrams are probably unreliable.

More to explore

shark

"large, voracious fish," by 1560s, perhaps mid-15c., if an isolated instance in a diary quoted in Middle English Compendium is the same word, of uncertain origin. The meaning "dishonest person who preys on others," though attested from 1599 (sharker "artful swindler" in this sens

giant

c. 1300, "fabulous man-like creature of enormous size," from Old French geant, earlier jaiant "giant, ogre" (12c.), from Vulgar Latin *gagantem (nominative gagas), from Latin gigas "a giant," from Greek Gigas (usually in plural, Gigantes), one of a race of divine but savage and m

hulk

Old English hulc "light, fast ship" (glossing Latin liburna, but in Middle English a heavy, unwieldy one), probably from Old Dutch hulke and Medieval Latin hulcus, perhaps ultimately from Greek holkas "merchant ship," literally "ship that is towed," from helkein "to pull, draw, d

baleen

early 14c., "whalebone," from Old French balaine "whale, whalebone" (12c.), from Latin ballaena, from Greek phallaina "whale...

Orca

"killer whale," introduced as a generic term for the species by 1841, from earlier use in scientific names, from Latin orca..."cetacean, a kind of whale."...

grampus

influence of grand) from Middle English graspeys (late 13c.), from Anglo-French grampais, from Old French graspois, craspois "whale..., (salted) whale meat; blubber; seal," from Medieval Latin craspicis, literally "great fish" or "fat fish," from Latin crassus...

walrus

canine teeth), 1650s, from Dutch walrus, which was probably a folk-etymology alteration (by influence of Dutch walvis "whale..." and ros "horse") of a Scandinavian word, such as Old Norse rosmhvalr "walrus," hrosshvalr "a kind of whale," or rostungr...

hunt

Old English huntian "chase game" (transitive and intransitive), perhaps developed from hunta "hunter," and related to hentan "to seize," from Proto-Germanic *huntojan (source also of Gothic hinþan "to seize, capture," Old High German hunda "booty"), which is of uncertain origin.

urn

late 14c., "large, rounded vase used to preserve the ashes of the dead," from Latin urna "a jar, vessel of baked clay, water-jar; vessel for the ashes of the dead" (also used as a ballot box and for drawing lots), probably from earlier *urc-na, akin to urceus "pitcher, jug," and

run

Old English, "move swiftly by using the legs, go on legs more rapidly than walking," also "make haste, hurry; be active, pursue or follow a course," and, of inanimate things, "to move over a course." The modern verb is a merger of two related Old English words, in both of which t

Share whale

Want to remove ads? Log in to see fewer ads, and become a Premium Member to remove all ads.

Trending

Dictionary entries near whale

Want to remove ads? Log in to see fewer ads, and become a Premium Member to remove all ads.