cachalot

[ kash-uh-lot, -loh ]

Origin of cachalot

1
1740–50; <French ≪ Portuguese cacholote, equivalent to cachol(a) pate, noggin (of obscure origin) + -ote augmentative suffix

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

British Dictionary definitions for cachalot

cachalot

/ (ˈkæʃəˌlɒt) /


noun
  1. another name for sperm whale

Origin of cachalot

1
C18: from French, from Portuguese, cachalote, of unknown origin

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