"whal" meaning in Middle English

See whal in All languages combined, or Wiktionary

Noun

IPA: /hwal/, /hwaːl/, /w-/ [dialectal], /xw-/ [dialectal]
Etymology: Inherited from Old English hwæl, from Proto-West Germanic *hwal, from Proto-Germanic *hwalaz. The form with /aː/ originates from open-syllable lengthening in inflected forms, while the form swale may reflect the influence of squalus. Etymology templates: {{glossary|Inherited}} Inherited, {{inh|enm|ang|hwæl|||g=|g2=|g3=|id=|lit=|nocat=|pos=|sc=|sort=|tr=|ts=}} Old English hwæl, {{inh+|enm|ang|hwæl}} Inherited from Old English hwæl, {{inh|enm|gmw-pro|*hwal}} Proto-West Germanic *hwal, {{inh|enm|gem-pro|*hwalaz}} Proto-Germanic *hwalaz Head templates: {{head|enm|nouns|g=|g2=|g3=|head=|sort=}} whal, {{enm-noun|whales|pl2=whalles}} whal (plural whales or whalles) Forms: whales [plural], whalles [plural], swale [alternative], wale [alternative], whalle [alternative], whale [alternative], quale [alternative], quall [alternative], qwall [alternative], qwalle [alternative], whaale [alternative], qwayll [alternative], qwaylle [alternative], hwæl [alternative]
  1. A whale or cetacean. Categories (topical): Meats Categories (lifeform): Cetaceans
    Sense id: en-whal-enm-noun-1QKa9E2P Disambiguation of Meats: 30 33 37 Disambiguation of Cetaceans: 46 28 27 Categories (other): Middle English entries with incorrect language header, Pages with 1 entry, Pages with entries Disambiguation of Middle English entries with incorrect language header: 37 35 28 Disambiguation of Pages with 1 entry: 33 36 31 Disambiguation of Pages with entries: 33 36 31
  2. (rare) An oceanic monster. Tags: rare Categories (topical): Meats
    Sense id: en-whal-enm-noun-fPb14Ymb Disambiguation of Meats: 30 33 37 Categories (other): Middle English entries with incorrect language header, Pages with 1 entry, Pages with entries Disambiguation of Middle English entries with incorrect language header: 37 35 28 Disambiguation of Pages with 1 entry: 33 36 31 Disambiguation of Pages with entries: 33 36 31
  3. (rare) The meat of the whale. Tags: rare Categories (topical): Meats
    Sense id: en-whal-enm-noun-yePdogg2 Disambiguation of Meats: 30 33 37 Categories (other): Middle English entries with incorrect language header, Pages with 1 entry, Pages with entries Disambiguation of Middle English entries with incorrect language header: 37 35 28 Disambiguation of Pages with 1 entry: 33 36 31 Disambiguation of Pages with entries: 33 36 31

Inflected forms

Alternative forms

{
  "descendants": [
    {
      "depth": 1,
      "templates": [
        {
          "args": {
            "1": "en",
            "2": "whale"
          },
          "expansion": "English: whale",
          "name": "desc"
        }
      ],
      "text": "English: whale"
    },
    {
      "depth": 1,
      "templates": [
        {
          "args": {
            "1": "sco",
            "2": "whaul"
          },
          "expansion": "Scots: whaul",
          "name": "desc"
        }
      ],
      "text": "Scots: whaul"
    }
  ],
  "etymology_templates": [
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "Inherited"
      },
      "expansion": "Inherited",
      "name": "glossary"
    },
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "enm",
        "2": "ang",
        "3": "hwæl",
        "4": "",
        "5": "",
        "g": "",
        "g2": "",
        "g3": "",
        "id": "",
        "lit": "",
        "nocat": "",
        "pos": "",
        "sc": "",
        "sort": "",
        "tr": "",
        "ts": ""
      },
      "expansion": "Old English hwæl",
      "name": "inh"
    },
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "enm",
        "2": "ang",
        "3": "hwæl"
      },
      "expansion": "Inherited from Old English hwæl",
      "name": "inh+"
    },
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "enm",
        "2": "gmw-pro",
        "3": "*hwal"
      },
      "expansion": "Proto-West Germanic *hwal",
      "name": "inh"
    },
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "enm",
        "2": "gem-pro",
        "3": "*hwalaz"
      },
      "expansion": "Proto-Germanic *hwalaz",
      "name": "inh"
    }
  ],
  "etymology_text": "Inherited from Old English hwæl, from Proto-West Germanic *hwal, from Proto-Germanic *hwalaz.\nThe form with /aː/ originates from open-syllable lengthening in inflected forms, while the form swale may reflect the influence of squalus.",
  "forms": [
    {
      "form": "whales",
      "tags": [
        "plural"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "whalles",
      "tags": [
        "plural"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "swale",
      "tags": [
        "alternative"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "wale",
      "tags": [
        "alternative"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "whalle",
      "tags": [
        "alternative"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "whale",
      "tags": [
        "alternative"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "quale",
      "tags": [
        "alternative"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "quall",
      "tags": [
        "alternative"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "qwall",
      "tags": [
        "alternative"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "qwalle",
      "tags": [
        "alternative"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "whaale",
      "tags": [
        "alternative"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "qwayll",
      "tags": [
        "alternative"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "qwaylle",
      "tags": [
        "alternative"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "hwæl",
      "tags": [
        "alternative"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "head_templates": [
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "enm",
        "2": "nouns",
        "g": "",
        "g2": "",
        "g3": "",
        "head": "",
        "sort": ""
      },
      "expansion": "whal",
      "name": "head"
    },
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "whales",
        "pl2": "whalles"
      },
      "expansion": "whal (plural whales or whalles)",
      "name": "enm-noun"
    }
  ],
  "lang": "Middle English",
  "lang_code": "enm",
  "pos": "noun",
  "senses": [
    {
      "categories": [
        {
          "_dis": "37 35 28",
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "Middle English entries with incorrect language header",
          "parents": [
            "Entries with incorrect language header",
            "Entry maintenance"
          ],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        },
        {
          "_dis": "33 36 31",
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "Pages with 1 entry",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        },
        {
          "_dis": "33 36 31",
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "Pages with entries",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        },
        {
          "_dis": "46 28 27",
          "kind": "lifeform",
          "langcode": "enm",
          "name": "Cetaceans",
          "orig": "enm:Cetaceans",
          "parents": [
            "Even-toed ungulates",
            "Mammals",
            "Vertebrates",
            "Chordates",
            "Animals",
            "Lifeforms",
            "All topics",
            "Life",
            "Fundamental",
            "Nature"
          ],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        },
        {
          "_dis": "30 33 37",
          "kind": "topical",
          "langcode": "enm",
          "name": "Meats",
          "orig": "enm:Meats",
          "parents": [
            "Foods",
            "Eating",
            "Food and drink",
            "Human behaviour",
            "All topics",
            "Human",
            "Fundamental"
          ],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "A whale or cetacean."
      ],
      "id": "en-whal-enm-noun-1QKa9E2P",
      "links": [
        [
          "whale",
          "whale#English"
        ],
        [
          "cetacean",
          "cetacean"
        ]
      ]
    },
    {
      "categories": [
        {
          "_dis": "37 35 28",
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "Middle English entries with incorrect language header",
          "parents": [
            "Entries with incorrect language header",
            "Entry maintenance"
          ],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        },
        {
          "_dis": "33 36 31",
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "Pages with 1 entry",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        },
        {
          "_dis": "33 36 31",
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "Pages with entries",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        },
        {
          "_dis": "30 33 37",
          "kind": "topical",
          "langcode": "enm",
          "name": "Meats",
          "orig": "enm:Meats",
          "parents": [
            "Foods",
            "Eating",
            "Food and drink",
            "Human behaviour",
            "All topics",
            "Human",
            "Fundamental"
          ],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "An oceanic monster."
      ],
      "id": "en-whal-enm-noun-fPb14Ymb",
      "links": [
        [
          "monster",
          "monster"
        ]
      ],
      "raw_glosses": [
        "(rare) An oceanic monster."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "rare"
      ]
    },
    {
      "categories": [
        {
          "_dis": "37 35 28",
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "Middle English entries with incorrect language header",
          "parents": [
            "Entries with incorrect language header",
            "Entry maintenance"
          ],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        },
        {
          "_dis": "33 36 31",
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "Pages with 1 entry",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        },
        {
          "_dis": "33 36 31",
          "kind": "other",
          "name": "Pages with entries",
          "parents": [],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        },
        {
          "_dis": "30 33 37",
          "kind": "topical",
          "langcode": "enm",
          "name": "Meats",
          "orig": "enm:Meats",
          "parents": [
            "Foods",
            "Eating",
            "Food and drink",
            "Human behaviour",
            "All topics",
            "Human",
            "Fundamental"
          ],
          "source": "w+disamb"
        }
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "The meat of the whale."
      ],
      "id": "en-whal-enm-noun-yePdogg2",
      "links": [
        [
          "meat",
          "meat"
        ]
      ],
      "raw_glosses": [
        "(rare) The meat of the whale."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "rare"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "sounds": [
    {
      "ipa": "/hwal/"
    },
    {
      "ipa": "/hwaːl/"
    },
    {
      "ipa": "/w-/",
      "tags": [
        "dialectal"
      ]
    },
    {
      "ipa": "/xw-/",
      "tags": [
        "dialectal"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "wikipedia": [
    "open-syllable lengthening"
  ],
  "word": "whal"
}
{
  "categories": [
    "Middle English entries with incorrect language header",
    "Middle English lemmas",
    "Middle English nouns",
    "Middle English terms derived from Old English",
    "Middle English terms derived from Proto-Germanic",
    "Middle English terms derived from Proto-West Germanic",
    "Middle English terms inherited from Old English",
    "Middle English terms inherited from Proto-Germanic",
    "Middle English terms inherited from Proto-West Germanic",
    "Pages with 1 entry",
    "Pages with entries",
    "enm:Cetaceans",
    "enm:Meats"
  ],
  "descendants": [
    {
      "depth": 1,
      "templates": [
        {
          "args": {
            "1": "en",
            "2": "whale"
          },
          "expansion": "English: whale",
          "name": "desc"
        }
      ],
      "text": "English: whale"
    },
    {
      "depth": 1,
      "templates": [
        {
          "args": {
            "1": "sco",
            "2": "whaul"
          },
          "expansion": "Scots: whaul",
          "name": "desc"
        }
      ],
      "text": "Scots: whaul"
    }
  ],
  "etymology_templates": [
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "Inherited"
      },
      "expansion": "Inherited",
      "name": "glossary"
    },
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "enm",
        "2": "ang",
        "3": "hwæl",
        "4": "",
        "5": "",
        "g": "",
        "g2": "",
        "g3": "",
        "id": "",
        "lit": "",
        "nocat": "",
        "pos": "",
        "sc": "",
        "sort": "",
        "tr": "",
        "ts": ""
      },
      "expansion": "Old English hwæl",
      "name": "inh"
    },
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "enm",
        "2": "ang",
        "3": "hwæl"
      },
      "expansion": "Inherited from Old English hwæl",
      "name": "inh+"
    },
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "enm",
        "2": "gmw-pro",
        "3": "*hwal"
      },
      "expansion": "Proto-West Germanic *hwal",
      "name": "inh"
    },
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "enm",
        "2": "gem-pro",
        "3": "*hwalaz"
      },
      "expansion": "Proto-Germanic *hwalaz",
      "name": "inh"
    }
  ],
  "etymology_text": "Inherited from Old English hwæl, from Proto-West Germanic *hwal, from Proto-Germanic *hwalaz.\nThe form with /aː/ originates from open-syllable lengthening in inflected forms, while the form swale may reflect the influence of squalus.",
  "forms": [
    {
      "form": "whales",
      "tags": [
        "plural"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "whalles",
      "tags": [
        "plural"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "swale",
      "tags": [
        "alternative"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "wale",
      "tags": [
        "alternative"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "whalle",
      "tags": [
        "alternative"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "whale",
      "tags": [
        "alternative"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "quale",
      "tags": [
        "alternative"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "quall",
      "tags": [
        "alternative"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "qwall",
      "tags": [
        "alternative"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "qwalle",
      "tags": [
        "alternative"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "whaale",
      "tags": [
        "alternative"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "qwayll",
      "tags": [
        "alternative"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "qwaylle",
      "tags": [
        "alternative"
      ]
    },
    {
      "form": "hwæl",
      "tags": [
        "alternative"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "head_templates": [
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "enm",
        "2": "nouns",
        "g": "",
        "g2": "",
        "g3": "",
        "head": "",
        "sort": ""
      },
      "expansion": "whal",
      "name": "head"
    },
    {
      "args": {
        "1": "whales",
        "pl2": "whalles"
      },
      "expansion": "whal (plural whales or whalles)",
      "name": "enm-noun"
    }
  ],
  "lang": "Middle English",
  "lang_code": "enm",
  "pos": "noun",
  "senses": [
    {
      "glosses": [
        "A whale or cetacean."
      ],
      "links": [
        [
          "whale",
          "whale#English"
        ],
        [
          "cetacean",
          "cetacean"
        ]
      ]
    },
    {
      "categories": [
        "Middle English terms with rare senses"
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "An oceanic monster."
      ],
      "links": [
        [
          "monster",
          "monster"
        ]
      ],
      "raw_glosses": [
        "(rare) An oceanic monster."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "rare"
      ]
    },
    {
      "categories": [
        "Middle English terms with rare senses"
      ],
      "glosses": [
        "The meat of the whale."
      ],
      "links": [
        [
          "meat",
          "meat"
        ]
      ],
      "raw_glosses": [
        "(rare) The meat of the whale."
      ],
      "tags": [
        "rare"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "sounds": [
    {
      "ipa": "/hwal/"
    },
    {
      "ipa": "/hwaːl/"
    },
    {
      "ipa": "/w-/",
      "tags": [
        "dialectal"
      ]
    },
    {
      "ipa": "/xw-/",
      "tags": [
        "dialectal"
      ]
    }
  ],
  "wikipedia": [
    "open-syllable lengthening"
  ],
  "word": "whal"
}

Download raw JSONL data for whal meaning in Middle English (3.3kB)


This page is a part of the kaikki.org machine-readable Middle English dictionary. This dictionary is based on structured data extracted on 2025-03-26 from the enwiktionary dump dated 2025-03-21 using wiktextract (fef8596 and 633533e). The data shown on this site has been post-processed and various details (e.g., extra categories) removed, some information disambiguated, and additional data merged from other sources. See the raw data download page for the unprocessed wiktextract data.

If you use this data in academic research, please cite Tatu Ylonen: Wiktextract: Wiktionary as Machine-Readable Structured Data, Proceedings of the 13th Conference on Language Resources and Evaluation (LREC), pp. 1317-1325, Marseille, 20-25 June 2022. Linking to the relevant page(s) under https://kaikki.org would also be greatly appreciated.