Hello, you have come here looking for the meaning of the word valis. In DICTIOUS you will not only get to know all the dictionary meanings for the word valis, but we will also tell you about its etymology, its characteristics and you will know how to say valis in singular and plural. Everything you need to know about the word valis you have here. The definition of the word valis will help you to be more precise and correct when speaking or writing your texts. Knowing the definition ofvalis, as well as those of other words, enriches your vocabulary and provides you with more and better linguistic resources.
Borrowed from GermanWalfisch, a Germanic compound where Wal- is from Proto-Germanic*hwalaz(“whale”). The word was first borrowed (as valzivs, a compound of val- with zivs(“fish”) on the model of Wal-fisch, in the early 19th century; before that, only expressions like lielazivs “big fish” or jūraszvērs “sea beast” had been used. The form valis appeared in the early 20th century, and succeeded in replacing valzivs completely only in the 1950s.[1]
vaļu medību kuģis ― whaler (lit. whale hunting ship)
lielākie mūsdienu zīdītāji, vaļi (dažu sugu īpatni pat 30 m gari) ir pastāvīgi ūdens iemītnieki ― the largest modern mammals, whales (specimens of some species are up to 30m long) are permanent water inhabitants
