grampus
Americannoun
plural
grampuses-
a cetacean, Grampus griseus, of the dolphin family, widely distributed in northern seas.
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any of various related cetaceans, as the killer whale, Orcinus (Orca ) orca.
-
a giant whip scorpion common to Florida.
noun
-
a widely distributed slaty-grey dolphin, Grampus griseus, with a blunt snout
-
another name for killer whale
Etymology
Origin of grampus
1520–30; earlier grampoys, variant (by assimilation) of graundepose great fish, equivalent to graunde grand + pose, poys < Middle French pois, peis < Latin pisce- (stem of piscis ) fish; replacing Middle English gra ( s ) peis < Middle French ≪ Latin crassus piscis fat fish
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
He continues: “Water dog, grampus, grumpus, mollyhugger, horny head, devil dog.”
From Washington Times • Dec. 2, 2018
It h a menacing or amorous puff, similar to the grampus.
From "The Once and Future King" by T. H. White
“And how do you know a grampus does?” asked McBain, smiling.
From The Cruise of the Snowbird A Story of Arctic Adventure by Stables, Gordon
On the 26th of December we saw several albicores, dolphins, and grampus, and shoals of flying fish; lat. at noon 22.
From An Account of the Campaign in the West Indies, in the Year 1794, Under the Command of their Excellencies Lieutenant General Sir Charles Grey, K.B., and Vice Admiral Sir John Jervis, K.B. by Willyams, Cooper
And you snore, George, you snore man, aye, egad, like a very grampus!
From Our Admirable Betty A Romance by Farnol, Jeffery
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
