ruel-bone (English)
Where does "ruel-bone" come from?
The term "ruel-bone" originated from the Old Norse compound "hrosshvalr," literally meaning "horse-whale," which was used to describe a walrus. This term passed through Old French as the loanword "roal" before entering Middle English and eventually surviving as a specialized name for high-quality walrus ivory.
Full etymology tree
- ruel-bone (English), 'A piece of ivory, generally from a marine mammal.'
- inherited rewell bon (Middle English)
- borrowed roal (Old French)
- learned borrowing hrosshvalr (Old Norse), 'walrus'
- compound hross (Old Norse), 'horse'
- inherited *hrussą (Proto-Germanic), 'horse'
- inherited *ḱr̥sós (Proto-Indo-European), 'vehicle, literally runner'
- inherited *wérsēn (Proto-Indo-European), 'virile man'
- inherited *hrussą (Proto-Germanic), 'horse'
- compound hvalr (Old Norse), 'whale'
- inherited *hwalaz (Proto-Germanic), 'whale'
- inherited *(s)kʷálos (Proto-Indo-European), 'large fish'
- inherited *hwalaz (Proto-Germanic), 'whale'
- compound hross (Old Norse), 'horse'
- learned borrowing hrosshvalr (Old Norse), 'walrus'
- borrowed roal (Old French)
- inherited rewell bon (Middle English)
Direct ancestors
Updated June 2026
Etymology data from Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0 · About Miraris