Fin whale

Fin whale
Fin Fin, n.[OE. finne, fin, AS. finn; akin to D. vin, G. & Dan. finne, Sw. fena, L. pinna, penna, a wing, feather. Cf. {pen} a feather.] 1. (Zo["o]l.) An organ of a fish, consisting of a membrane supported by rays, or little bony or cartilaginous ossicles, and serving to balance and propel it in the water. [1913 Webster]

Note: Fishes move through the water chiefly by means of the caudal fin or tail, the principal office of the other fins being to balance or direct the body, though they are also, to a certain extent, employed in producing motion. [1913 Webster]

2. (Zo["o]l.) A membranous, finlike, swimming organ, as in pteropod and heteropod mollusks. [1913 Webster]

3. A finlike organ or attachment; a part of an object or product which protrudes like a fin, as: (a) The hand. [Slang] (b) (Com.) A blade of whalebone. [Eng.] --McElrath. (c) (Mech.) A mark or ridge left on a casting at the junction of the parts of a mold. (d) (Mech.) The thin sheet of metal squeezed out between the collars of the rolls in the process of rolling. --Raymond. (e) (Mech.) A feather; a spline. [1913 Webster]

4. A finlike appendage, as to submarine boats. [1913 Webster]

5. (A["e]ronautics) A fixed stabilizing surface, usually vertical, similar in purpose to a bilge keel on a ship. [Webster 1913 Suppl.]

{Apidose fin}. (Zo["o]l.) See under {Adipose}, a.

{Fin ray} (Anat.), one of the hornlike, cartilaginous, or bony, dermal rods which form the skeleton of the fins of fishes.

{Fin whale} (Zo["o]l.), a finback.

{Paired fins} (Zo["o]l.), the pectoral and ventral fins, corresponding to the fore and hind legs of the higher animals.

{Unpaired fins}, or {Median fins} (Zo["o]l.), the dorsal, caudal, and anal fins. [1913 Webster]


The Collaborative International Dictionary of English. 2000.

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  • fin whale — fin′ whale n. mam finback • Etymology: 1880–85 …   From formal English to slang

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  • Fin Whale — ] As of 2006, there are two named subspecies, each with distinct physical features and vocalizations. B. p. physalus (Linnaeus 1758), or Northern Fin Whale, is found in the North Atlantic, and B. p. quoyi (Fischer 1829), or Antarctic Fin Whale,… …   Wikipedia

  • fin whale — finback. [1880 85] * * * or finback whale or razorback whale or common rorqual Swift, slender bodied baleen whale (Balaenoptera physalus) named for the ridge on its back. It is 59–89 ft (18–27 m) long, with a triangular dorsal fin, short baleen,… …   Universalium

  • fin whale — noun large flat headed whalebone whale having deep furrows along the throat; of Atlantic and Pacific • Syn: ↑finback, ↑finback whale, ↑common rorqual, ↑Balaenoptera physalus • Hypernyms: ↑rorqual, ↑razorback …   Useful english dictionary

  • fin whale — finvalas statusas T sritis zoologija | vardynas taksono rangas rūšis atitikmenys: lot. Balaenoptera physalus angl. common finback; common finback whale; common finwhale; common rorqual; fin whale; finback; finback whale; finnar whale; finwhale;… …   Žinduolių pavadinimų žodynas

  • fin whale — noun Date: 1885 a baleen whale (Balaenoptera physalus) that may attain a length of over 70 feet (21 meters) and is found chiefly in subtropical to arctic and antarctic waters worldwide called also finback …   New Collegiate Dictionary

  • fin whale — noun a whale of the rorqual family (Balaenoptera physalus) Syn: finback …   Wiktionary

  • fin whale — noun a large rorqual with a small dorsal fin and white underparts. [Balaenoptera physalus.] …   English new terms dictionary

  • Fin — Fin, n.[OE. finne, fin, AS. finn; akin to D. vin, G. & Dan. finne, Sw. fena, L. pinna, penna, a wing, feather. Cf. {pen} a feather.] 1. (Zo[ o]l.) An organ of a fish, consisting of a membrane supported by rays, or little bony or cartilaginous… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

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