finback

American  

[fin-bak] / ˈfɪnˌbæk /

noun

1. any baleen whale of the genus Balaenoptera, having a prominent dorsal fin, especially B. physalus, of the Atlantic and Pacific coasts; rorqual: an endangered species.

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finback British  

/ ˈfɪnˌbæk /

noun

1. another name for rorqual

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Etymology

Origin of finback

First recorded in 1715–25; fin ¹ + back ¹

Example Sentences

Climb 41 steps to the lamp room, which has used a LED lantern since 2014 — and you may spot humpback, right and minke as well as finback whales circling in the deep waters below.

From New York Times • Sep. 27, 2019

And the bodies of 28 humpback and 17 finback whales washed up on beaches in Alaska and British Columbia in Canada.

From Science Magazine • Jan. 31, 2019

The black curve of a finback whale broke the surface of the grey water, and uninhabited islands dripped from the end of the continent like water from a leaky tap.

From The Guardian • Jan. 6, 2019

If Jonah had been swallowed by a big fish, perhaps the big fish was a whale, and that whale could have been something like a 90-foot finback.

From Salon • Jun. 12, 2012

This crest is usually some bird, or fish, or animal; particularly the eagle, the raven, the finback whale, the grisly bear, the wolf, and the frog.

From Metlakahtla and the North Pacific Mission by Stock, Eugene

Related Words

• mammal
• porpoise