whale

English

/weɪl/, /ʍeɪl/

noun
Definitions
  • Any of several species of large sea mammals of the infraorder Cetacea.
  • (figuratively) Something, or someone, that is very large.
  • (figuratively) Something, or someone, that is excellent.
  • (gambling) In a casino, a person who routinely bets at the maximum limit allowable.
  • (finance) An investor who deals with very large amounts of money.
  • (video games) A video game player who spends large amounts of money on premium content.

Etymology

Inherited from Middle English whale inherited from Old English hwæl (whale) inherited from *hwal inherited from Proto-Germanic *hwalaz (whale) inherited from Proto-Indo-European *(s)kʷálos (sheatfish).

Origin

Proto-Indo-European

*(s)kʷálos

Gloss

sheatfish

Timeline

Distribution of cognates by language

Geogrpahic distribution of cognates

Cognates and derived terms