Wal
noun · /vaːl/ ·Etymology
The root descends from Middle High German wal, from Old High German wal, from Proto-West Germanic *hwal, from Proto-Germanic *hwalaz, from Proto-Indo-European *(s)kʷálos (“sheatfish”). Cognates include English whale, German Low German Waal, Icelandic hvalur, Danish hval, Swedish val. Although the simplex root also existed in earlier historical stages of German, Grimm claims that the simplex had fallen out of used by Early New High German and was used exclusively in the compounds such as Walfisch and Narwal. The simplex later reappeared in the course of the 19th century, at first in the domain of scientific literature, as a back-formation from Walfisch. Compare also Dutch walvis, Low German Waalfisch.
Translation
-
whale
masculine, strong
Wirf eine Sprotte, um einen Wal zu fangen.
Throw a sprat to catch a whale.
Ich habe noch nie einen so großen Wal gesehen.
Never have I seen such a big whale.
Hast du schon mal einen Wal gesehen?
Have you ever seen a whale?
- whale source:freedict-eng-deu-dictd
- whale source:wikdict-en-de-stardict
- whale source:dictcc-tuchemnitz-de-en
Declension
| Case | Singular | Plural |
|---|---|---|
| Nominative | Wal | Wale |
| Accusative | Wal | Wale |
| Dative | Wal | Walen |
| Genitive | Wales | Wale |