orca
Americannoun
noun
Etymology
Origin of orca
First recorded in 1650–60; from New Latin, former taxonomic name, from Latin, a kind of whale, perhaps a grampus, from Greek óryga (accusative of óryx ), a kind of large fish, perhaps a narwhal. The g became c under the influence of Latin orca, a kind of large earthenware vessel with a narrow neck; orc
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.
Pointed out to the tourists all the red foxes and orcas and grizzly bears that were pushing out native species because it was warm enough for the new animals to live here now.
From Literature
As long as you weren’t an orca, they would be your friend instantly.
From Literature
An international research team has discovered two previously unknown viruses in short-finned pilot whales and orcas from the Caribbean region of the North Atlantic Ocean.
From Science Daily
"One of the sightings reported a group of single male outer coast orcas slapping each other with their dorsal fins and charging at inner coast females."
From Science Daily
A group of orcas in the Gulf of California has been filmed using remarkable skill to hunt young great white sharks, flipping them onto their backs to reach the nutrient-packed liver.
From Science Daily
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.
