means Whales are large, air-breathing marine mammals that live entirely in water, ranging from the immense blue whale to smaller toothed species, and are known for their long migrations and complex vocalizations.

from From Old English 'hwæl,' a word for whale and large sea creatures generally, with cousins across the Germanic languages — Old Norse 'hvalr,' German 'Wal.' Some have linked the deeper root to a Proto-Indo-European term possibly tied to 'fish' or 'sea creature,' but that connection stays speculative. The same Old English source also gave us 'walrus,' which travelled a tangled route through Dutch as a kind of 'whale-horse.'