Whale
[weɪl] or [wel]
Definition
(noun.) any of the larger cetacean mammals having a streamlined body and breathing through a blowhole on the head.
(verb.) hunt for whales.
Checked by Jacques--From WordNet
Definition
(n.) 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.
Checked by Irving
Definition
n. the common name of a cetaceous mammal the largest of sea-animals including the toothed whales such as Sperm Whale and Dolphin and the whalebone whales such as Right Whale and Rorqual in which the teeth are only embryonic.—v.i. to take whales.—ns. Whale′-back a boat whose maindecks are covered in and rounded for rough seas; Whale′-boat a long narrow boat used in the pursuit of whales; Whale′bone a light flexible substance consisting of the baleen plates of the Arctic and allied whales.—adj. made of whalebone.—ns. Whale′-calf a young whale—also Calf whale; Whale′-fish′er one engaged in whale-fishery or the hunting of whales; Whale′-fish′ery; Whale′-fish′ing; Whale′-line strong rope used for harpoon-lines in the whale-fishery; Whale′-louse a genus of Crustacea parasitic on the skin of Cetaceans; Whale′-man Whāl′er a person employed in whale-fishing; Whale′-oil oil obtained from the blubber of a whale; Whāl′er Whale′ship a ship employed in the whale-fishing; Whāl′ery whaling.—adj. Whāl′ing connected with whale-catching.—n. the business of catching whales.—ns. Whāl′ing-gun a contrivance for killing whales by means of a projectile; Whāl′ing-mas′ter the captain of a whaler; Whāl′ing-port a port where whalers are registered.—Whale's bone ivory.—Bull whale an adult male whale.
v.t. (slang) to thrash.
Typed by Gus
Unserious Contents or Definition
To dream of seeing a whale approaching a ship, denotes that you will have a struggle between duties, and will be threatened with loss of property. If the whale is demolished, you will happily decide between right and inclination, and will encounter pleasing successes. If you see a whale overturn a ship, you will be thrown into a whirlpool of disasters.
Inputed by Annie
Examples
- In 1724, this company had undertaken the whale fishery. Adam Smith. An Inquiry into the Nature and Causes of the Wealth of Nations.
- They assailed the walrus, the bear, and the whale. H. G. Wells. The Outline of History_Being a Plain History of Life and Mankind.
- No one regards the external similarity of a mouse to a shrew, of a dugong to a whale, of a whale to a fish, as of any importance. Charles Darwin. On the Origin of Species by Means of Natural Selection.
- We can see the long, whale-backed ridge of Mount Hermon projecting above the eastern hills. Mark Twain. The Innocents Abroad.
- It was thought at first the creature was a whale, but later it was classified as a fish, for it breathed through gills of which there were five in number. Various. The Wonder Book of Knowledge.
- The tonnage bounties given to the white herring and whale fisheries may, perhaps, be considered as somewhat of this nature. Adam Smith. An Inquiry into the Nature and Causes of the Wealth of Nations.
- He was a most daring and successful seal and whale fisher. Arthur Conan Doyle. The Return of Sherlock Holmes.
- The Greenland whale is one of the most wonderful animals in the world, and the baleen, or whalebone, one of its greatest peculiarities. Charles Darwin. On the Origin of Species by Means of Natural Selection.
- In 1890 McDougal’s whale-back steamers were introduced. Edward W. Byrn. The Progress of Invention in the Nineteenth Century.
- However, now and then they take a whale that happens to be dashed against the rocks, which the common people feed on heartily. Jonathan Swift. Gulliver's Travels into Several Remote Nations of the World.
- In bigness these greater _Dinosaurs_ have never been exceeded, although the sea can still show in the whales creatures as great. H. G. Wells. The Outline of History_Being a Plain History of Life and Mankind.
- Ducks, like whales, subsist by sifting the mud and water; and the family has sometimes been called Criblatores, or sifters. Charles Darwin. On the Origin of Species by Means of Natural Selection.
- I hope that I may not be misconstrued into saying that the progenitors of whales did actually possess mouths lamellated like the beak of a duck. Charles Darwin. On the Origin of Species by Means of Natural Selection.
- He knew as well as I did that it was just as likely, at that time of year, I was going down there whaling; but I felt complimented, too. Charles Dickens. David Copperfield.
- The whaling fleets, long after gas came into use, were one of the greatest sources of our national wealth. Frank Lewis Dyer. Edison, His Life and Inventions.
- How did yer whaling agree with yer, Tom? Harriet Beecher Stowe. Uncle Tom's Cabin.
Typist: Susan