German

Noun

Wal m ‎(genitive Wals or Wales, plural Wale)

1. whale

Declension

Luxembourgish

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /vaːl/
  • Rhymes: -aːl

Etymology 1

From German Wal, from Old High German wal, from Proto-Germanic *hwalaz. Compare Dutch walvis, English whale, Danish hval, Icelandic hvalur.

Noun

Wal m ‎(plural Walen)

1. whale

Etymology 2

From German Wahl, Old High German wala, from Proto-Germanic *walō. The related terms below are inherited.

Alternative forms

• Wahl (nonstandard, but not rare, to distinguish from etymology 1)

Noun

Wal f ‎(plural Walen)

1. (politics) election

Related terms

• Wiel
• wielen

Etymology 3

From Old High German wald, from Proto-Germanic *walþuz. Cognate with German Wald, Dutch woud, English wold

Noun

Wal m ‎(uncountable)

1. (in field names, otherwise widely archaic) forest

Synonyms

• Bësch

Dutch

Pronunciation

• Rhymes: -ɑl

Etymology 1

From Latin vallum ‎(“wall”), from vallus ‎(“stake, palisade, point”). Cognate with English wall.

Noun

wal m ‎(plural wallen, diminutive walletje n)

1. coast, shore (side of land near to the water)
2. earthen levee as protection against flooding
3. wall around city as military defense
4. periorbital dark circle
5. eye circle; bags

Synonyms

• (levee): dijk
• (defensive wall): omwalling, stadsmuur
• (eye bags): oogwal

Derived terms

• bewallen, walling, stadswal

Etymology 2

From Middle Dutch wal ‎(“whale”), from Old Dutch *wal, from Proto-Germanic *hwalaz ‎(“whale”). Cognate with English whale. Possibly to avoid confusion with wal ‎(“wall; shore”), the derived compound word walvis ‎(“whale; lit. whale-fish”) gained currency over wal ‎(“whale”). Similar clarifying compounds can be found elsewhere in Dutch: kraanvogel ‎(“crane; lit. crane-bird”), muildier ‎(“mule; lit. mule-animal”), oeros ‎(“auroch; auroch-ox”), rendier ‎(“rein; lit. rein-animal”), tortelduif ‎(“turtle (bird); lit. turtle dove”) and windhond ‎(“greyhound; lit. wind-dog”).

Noun

wal m ‎(plural wallen, diminutive walletje n)

1. (archaic) whale

Synonyms

• (whale): walvis, waldier

Derived terms

• walvis, waldier, walrus, grindewal

Middle English

Alternative forms

• wæl(e), wale, wel

Noun

wal (plural wals)

1. death, slaughter.

Welsh

Noun

wal

1. Soft mutation of gwal.

Mutation