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Where does the word "krill" come from? It comes from Norwegian kril, and was adopted directly into English (1886 onward).
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Where does the word "krill" come from? It comes from Norwegian kril, and was adopted directly into English (1886 onward).
Krill’s story begins in Norwegian: kril meant “small fry of fish.” A whalers' term for the tiny creatures whales feed on. It reached English by 1886 onward as krill. Norwegian 'kril', small fry of fish; a key food of baleen whales. Today, krill means small shrimp-like marine crustaceans that are a key food source for whales.
- Stage 1 · Norwegian · 1800s kril "small fry of fish", a whalers' term for the tiny creatures whales feed on.
- Stage 2 · English · 1886 onward krill "tiny shrimp-like marine crustaceans", Norwegian 'kril', small fry of fish; a key food of baleen whales.