beluga

[ buh-loo-guh ]

/ bəˈlu gə /

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR beluga ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

Also called hausen. a white sturgeon, Huso huso, of the Black and Caspian seas, valued as a source of caviar and isinglass.

Also called sea canary, white whale. a cetacean, Delphinapterus leucas, of northern seas, that has a rounded head and is white when adult.

Nearby words

beltrami, eugenio, beltsville, beltsville small white, beltsy, beltway, beluga, belukha, belvedere, belvidere, belvoir castle, bely

Origin of beluga

1585–95; < Russian belúga (now regularly belúkha for the cetacean), equivalent to bél(yĭ) white + -uga, probably earlier *-ǫga (compare Czech pstruh, Polish pstrąg trout < *pĭstr- mottled + *-ǫgŭ a cognate suffix)

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for beluga

Break out the smoked salmon and beluga (post heat, of course).
Wolfgang's Revolution, at Your Gates|Katie Workman|July 28, 2009|DAILY BEAST
Like the Beluga, Hyperoodon rostratum gets lighter in colour with advancing years.
The Cambridge Natural History, Vol X., Mammalia|Frank Evers Beddard
The spirits connected with the deer, the seal, the salmon, and the beluga are regarded by all with special veneration.
The Works of Hubert Howe Bancroft, Volume 3|Hubert Howe Bancroft
It was useful for casting stones into the ocean to frighten and drive the beluga into the nets set for that purpose.
Short Sketches from Oldest America|John Driggs

Its chief food is the seal and beluga, while its sly disposition enables it also to capture the water birds.
Short Sketches from Oldest America|John Driggs
It has been noted that they are found in isolated pockets within that range and are not, like the beluga, widely distributed.
Whales, Dolphins, and Porpoises of the Western North Atlantic|Stephen Leatherwood

British Dictionary definitions for beluga

beluga

/ (bɪˈluːɡə) /

noun

a large white sturgeon, Acipenser (or Huso) huso, of the Black and Caspian Seas: a source of caviar and isinglass

another name for white whale

Word Origin for beluga

C18: from Russian byeluga, from byely white

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for beluga

beluga

1590s, from Russian beluga, literally "great white," from belo- "white" (from PIE *bhel-o-, from root *bhel- (1) "to shine, flash, burn;" see bleach (v.)) + augmentative suffix -uga. Originally the great sturgeon, found in the Caspian and Black seas; later (1817) also the small white whale (Delphinapterus leucas) found in northern seas.

beluga

noun

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Nearby words

Origin of beluga

Examples from the Web for beluga

British Dictionary definitions for beluga

beluga

noun

Word Origin for beluga

Word Origin and History for beluga

beluga