narwhal
Americannoun
noun
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of narwhal
First recorded in 1650–60; from Scandinavian; compare Norwegian, Swedish, Danish nar(h)val, reshaped from Old Norse nāhvalr, equivalent to nār “corpse” + hvalr whale 1; allegedly so called because its skin resembles that of a human corpse
Explanation
A narwhal is like the unicorn of whales, with a long pointy tusk sticking out of its head. And, like unicorns, you probably won't spot one (unless you are traveling the Arctic waters near Greenland). Only male narwhals have a distinctive ivory tusk, which is actually a long, protruding canine tooth. It's a medium-sized whale, related to the beluga, and it's able to dive underwater for up to 25 minutes at a time. Narwhal comes from the Danish narhval, with the Old Norse root nahvalr literally meaning "corpse whale," for the narwhal's pale white color, thought to resemble the shade of a dead body.
Vocabulary lists containing narwhal
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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.
Tsai said the Narwhal will enter service in 2025, joining two existing submarines purchased from the Netherlands in the 1980s.
From Reuters • Sep. 28, 2023
Coahran has been hosting karaoke nights for 14 years at bars all over Seattle, including Cha Cha, Ronette’s, Unicorn and Narwhal.
From Seattle Times • Feb. 15, 2023
Ms. Bracken, a freelance photographer, was on assignment for The Narwhal, a Canadian online magazine.
From New York Times • Nov. 22, 2021
This is in contrast to some other social platforms like Reddit, where many users recommend apps made by indie devs like Apollo or Narwhal over the official one.
From The Verge • Nov. 15, 2021
In the ’tween-decks of the Narwhal, Buck and Curly joined two other dogs.
From "The Call of the Wild" by Jack London
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.
