grampus
Americannoun
plural
grampuses-
a cetacean, Grampus griseus, of the dolphin family, widely distributed in northern seas.
-
any of various related cetaceans, as the killer whale, Orcinus (Orca ) orca.
-
a giant whip scorpion common to Florida.
noun
-
a widely distributed slaty-grey dolphin, Grampus griseus, with a blunt snout
-
another name for killer whale
Etymology
Origin of grampus
1520–30; earlier grampoys, variant (by assimilation) of graundepose great fish, equivalent to graunde grand + pose, poys < Middle French pois, peis < Latin pisce- (stem of piscis ) fish; replacing Middle English gra ( s ) peis < Middle French ≪ Latin crassus piscis fat fish
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.
He continues: “Water dog, grampus, grumpus, mollyhugger, horny head, devil dog.”
From Washington Times • Dec. 2, 2018
It h a menacing or amorous puff, similar to the grampus.
From "The Once and Future King" by T. H. White
They could hear Mrs. Vand puffing and panting like a grampus, as she searched round and round.
From The Solitary Farm by Hume, Fergus
But the cook was not long in discovering the futility of his efforts and gave up the chase, puffing and blowing like a grampus.
From Army Boys in France or, From Training Camp to Trenches by Randall, Homer
"Ah!" cries the boy, "was never seen A fish like that which broke my rod, Such weight, such breadth of scaly sheen, A sucking whale he might have been, A grampus or Newfoundland cod."
From A Century of Emblems by Cautley, G. S.
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.
