blue whale

[ bloo-hweyl, weyl ]

/ ˈblu ˈʰweɪl, ˈweɪl /

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noun

a migratory baleen whale, Balaenoptera musculus, mostly of oceans and seas in the Southern Hemisphere, the largest mammal ever known, growing to a length of 100 feet (30.5 meters) and having a furrowed, slate-blue skin mottled with lighter spots, in some seas acquiring a yellowish coating of diatoms on the underside: now classified as endangered, it was once hunted nearly to extinction, but international conservation efforts begun in the 1960s have enabled the blue whale population to rebound significantly.

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THINGAMABOB OR THINGUMMY: CAN YOU DISTINGUISH BETWEEN THE US AND UK TERMS IN THIS QUIZ?

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Question 1 of 7

In the UK, COTTON CANDY is more commonly known as…

candystring

candyfloss

candypuff

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Also called sul·fur-bot·tom, sulphur-bottom

[suhl-fer-bot-uhm] /ˈsʌl fərˌbɒt əm/ .

Origin of blue whale

First recorded in 1850–55

Words nearby blue whale

blue vein, blue velvet, blue vitriol, blue-water, blueweed, blue whale, blue whistler, blue-winged teal, bluewood, blue wood aster, bluey

How to use blue whale in a sentence

In 2004, a blue whale died and washed up on a beach in downtown Monterey.
Whales get a second life as deep-sea buffets|Stephen Ornes|October 15, 2020|Science News For Students
Only male blue whales are known to sing, but both sexes move southward at about the same time each year.
We can protect whales from ship strikes by translating their songs|Kate Baggaley|October 2, 2020|Popular-Science
Potentially we could give some advance notice to folks managing these ecosystems in southern California that, hey, we’re hearing the blue whales start to migrate south, you might have a lot of them showing up here quite soon.
We can protect whales from ship strikes by translating their songs|Kate Baggaley|October 2, 2020|Popular-Science
Predicting whale movements via their songs may be particularly useful for this blue whale population, which is commonly struck by shipping vessels, Oestreich says.
Before migrating, some blue whales switch up the timing of their songs|Jake Buehler|October 1, 2020|Science News

During the summer feeding season in high latitudes, male blue whales tend to sing at night.
Before migrating, some blue whales switch up the timing of their songs|Jake Buehler|October 1, 2020|Science News
In general, the head is intermediate in shape between that of the blue whale and that of the fin whale.
Whales, Dolphins, and Porpoises of the Western North Atlantic|Stephen Leatherwood
The top of the head is flat, though slightly less than that of the blue whale.
Whales, Dolphins, and Porpoises of the Western North Atlantic|Stephen Leatherwood
The rostrum is narrower and more V-shaped than that of the blue whale and has the same sort of single distinctive head ridge.
Whales, Dolphins, and Porpoises of the Western North Atlantic|Stephen Leatherwood
The head is quite broad and rounded, somewhat like that of the blue whale.
Whales, Dolphins, and Porpoises of the Western North Atlantic|Stephen Leatherwood
The only other rorqual to do so—the blue whale—raises the flukes slightly or not at all.
Whales, Dolphins, and Porpoises of the Western North Atlantic|Stephen Leatherwood

British Dictionary definitions for blue whale

blue whale

noun

the largest mammal: a widely distributed bluish-grey whalebone whale, Sibbaldus (or Balaenoptera) musculus, closely related and similar to the rorquals: family BalaenopteridaeAlso called: sulphur-bottom

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