Whale's bone

Whale's bone
Whale Whale, n. [OE. whal, AS. hw[ae]l; akin to D. walvisch, G. wal, walfisch, OHG. wal, Icel. hvalr, Dan. & Sw. hval, hvalfisk. Cf. {Narwhal}, {Walrus}.] (Zo["o]l.) Any aquatic mammal of the order {Cetacea}, especially any one of the large species, some of which become nearly one hundred feet long. Whales are hunted chiefly for their oil and baleen, or whalebone. [1913 Webster]

Note: The existing whales are divided into two groups: the toothed whales ({Odontocete}), including those that have teeth, as the cachalot, or sperm whale (see {Sperm whale}); and the baleen, or whalebone, whales ({Mysticete}), comprising those that are destitute of teeth, but have plates of baleen hanging from the upper jaw, as the right whales. The most important species of whalebone whales are the bowhead, or Greenland, whale (see Illust. of {Right whale}), the Biscay whale, the Antarctic whale, the gray whale (see under {Gray}), the humpback, the finback, and the rorqual. [1913 Webster]

{Whale bird}. (Zo["o]l.) (a) Any one of several species of large Antarctic petrels which follow whaling vessels, to feed on the blubber and floating oil; especially, {Prion turtur} (called also {blue petrel}), and {Pseudoprion desolatus}. (b) The turnstone; -- so called because it lives on the carcasses of whales. [Canada]

{Whale fin} (Com.), whalebone. --Simmonds.

{Whale fishery}, the fishing for, or occupation of taking, whales.

{Whale louse} (Zo["o]l.), any one of several species of degraded amphipod crustaceans belonging to the genus {Cyamus}, especially {Cyamus ceti}. They are parasitic on various cetaceans.

{Whale's bone}, ivory. [Obs.]

{Whale shark}. (Zo["o]l.) (a) The basking, or liver, shark. (b) A very large harmless shark ({Rhinodon typicus}) native of the Indian Ocean. It sometimes becomes sixty feet long.

{Whale shot}, the name formerly given to spermaceti.

{Whale's tongue} (Zo["o]l.), a balanoglossus. [1913 Webster]


The Collaborative International Dictionary of English. 2000.

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  • whale's bone — noun (obsolete) Ivory eg from the walrus • • • Main Entry: ↑whale …   Useful english dictionary

  • Whale — Whale, n. [OE. whal, AS. hw[ae]l; akin to D. walvisch, G. wal, walfisch, OHG. wal, Icel. hvalr, Dan. & Sw. hval, hvalfisk. Cf. {Narwhal}, {Walrus}.] (Zo[ o]l.) Any aquatic mammal of the order {Cetacea}, especially any one of the large species,… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • Whale bird — Whale Whale, n. [OE. whal, AS. hw[ae]l; akin to D. walvisch, G. wal, walfisch, OHG. wal, Icel. hvalr, Dan. & Sw. hval, hvalfisk. Cf. {Narwhal}, {Walrus}.] (Zo[ o]l.) Any aquatic mammal of the order {Cetacea}, especially any one of the large… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • Whale fin — Whale Whale, n. [OE. whal, AS. hw[ae]l; akin to D. walvisch, G. wal, walfisch, OHG. wal, Icel. hvalr, Dan. & Sw. hval, hvalfisk. Cf. {Narwhal}, {Walrus}.] (Zo[ o]l.) Any aquatic mammal of the order {Cetacea}, especially any one of the large… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • Whale fishery — Whale Whale, n. [OE. whal, AS. hw[ae]l; akin to D. walvisch, G. wal, walfisch, OHG. wal, Icel. hvalr, Dan. & Sw. hval, hvalfisk. Cf. {Narwhal}, {Walrus}.] (Zo[ o]l.) Any aquatic mammal of the order {Cetacea}, especially any one of the large… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • Whale louse — Whale Whale, n. [OE. whal, AS. hw[ae]l; akin to D. walvisch, G. wal, walfisch, OHG. wal, Icel. hvalr, Dan. & Sw. hval, hvalfisk. Cf. {Narwhal}, {Walrus}.] (Zo[ o]l.) Any aquatic mammal of the order {Cetacea}, especially any one of the large… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • Whale shark — Whale Whale, n. [OE. whal, AS. hw[ae]l; akin to D. walvisch, G. wal, walfisch, OHG. wal, Icel. hvalr, Dan. & Sw. hval, hvalfisk. Cf. {Narwhal}, {Walrus}.] (Zo[ o]l.) Any aquatic mammal of the order {Cetacea}, especially any one of the large… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • Whale shot — Whale Whale, n. [OE. whal, AS. hw[ae]l; akin to D. walvisch, G. wal, walfisch, OHG. wal, Icel. hvalr, Dan. & Sw. hval, hvalfisk. Cf. {Narwhal}, {Walrus}.] (Zo[ o]l.) Any aquatic mammal of the order {Cetacea}, especially any one of the large… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • Whale's tongue — Whale Whale, n. [OE. whal, AS. hw[ae]l; akin to D. walvisch, G. wal, walfisch, OHG. wal, Icel. hvalr, Dan. & Sw. hval, hvalfisk. Cf. {Narwhal}, {Walrus}.] (Zo[ o]l.) Any aquatic mammal of the order {Cetacea}, especially any one of the large… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • Bone whale — Bone Bone (b[=o]n; 110), n. [OE. bon, ban, AS. b[=a]n; akin to Icel. bein, Sw. ben, Dan. & D. been, G. bein bone, leg; cf. Icel. beinn straight.] 1. (Anat.) The hard, calcified tissue of the skeleton of vertebrate animals, consisting very largely …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

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