narwhal

[ nahr-wuhl ]

/ ˈnɑr wəl /

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See synonyms for: narwhal / narwhals on Thesaurus.com

noun

a small Arctic whale, Monodon monoceros, the male of which has a long, spirally twisted tusk extending forward from the upper jaw.

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Also narwal, nar·whale

[nahr-hweyl, -weyl]. /ˈnɑrˌʰweɪl, -ˌweɪl/.

Origin of narwhal

First recorded in 1650–60; from Scandinavian; compare Norwegian, Swedish, Danish nar(h)val, reshaped from Old Norse nāhvalr, equivalent to nār “corpse” + hvalr whale¹; allegedly so called because its skin resembles that of a human corpse

OTHER WORDS FROM narwhal

nar·whal·i·an

[nahr-hwey-lee-uhn, -wey-, -wol-ee-], /nɑrˈʰweɪ li ən, -ˈweɪ-, -ˈwɒl i-/, adjective

Words nearby narwhal

narrow seas, narthex, Narva, Narváez, Narvik, narwhal, nary, nary a, N.A.S., NASA, nasal

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use narwhal in a sentence

I was drawn to creating narwhals because they are so unique and mysterious that I felt a sighting would stimulate interesting conversations.
Finding these artful animals around Capitol Hill is as easy as ABC|Fritz Hahn|July 22, 2021|Washington Post
I also wanted them to appear to be swimming around the post, hence needing the entire form of the narwhal.
Finding these artful animals around Capitol Hill is as easy as ABC|Fritz Hahn|July 22, 2021|Washington Post
Those “unicorn horns” were actually narwhal tusks collected at sea.
What would it take to make a unicorn?|Carolyn Wilke|March 4, 2020|Science News For Students
Besides a few crumbs, it contained a small lump of narwhal blubber and a little packet.
The Giant of the North|R.M. Ballantyne

Section, showing part of the timber of the ship Fame, where it was pierced by the narwhal in the South Seas, through 2½-inch oak.
The Evolution of Culture|Augustus Henry Lane-Fox Pitt-Rivers
And while she was busied with that work, the eagle would sometimes appear, with a walrus in one claw and a narwhal in the other.
Eskimo Folktales|Unknown
The tow-line which Qasiagssaq was using to-day was furnished with toggles of pure narwhal tusk.
Eskimo Folktales|Unknown
Like the other medium-sized whale in the same region, the beluga or white whale, the narwhal has no dorsal fin.
Whales, Dolphins, and Porpoises of the Western North Atlantic|Stephen Leatherwood

British Dictionary definitions for narwhal

narwhal

narwal narwhale (ˈnɑːˌweɪl)

/ (ˈnɑːwəl) /

noun

an arctic toothed whale, Monodon monoceros, having a black-spotted whitish skin and, in the male, a long spiral tusk: family Monodontidae

Word Origin for narwhal

C17: of Scandinavian origin; compare Danish, Norwegian narhval, from Old Norse nāhvalr, from nār corpse + hvalr whale, from its white colour, supposed to resemble a human corpse

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

narwhal

Origin of narwhal

OTHER WORDS FROM narwhal

Words nearby narwhal

Words related to narwhal

How to use narwhal in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for narwhal

narwal narwhale (ˈnɑːˌweɪl)

Word Origin for narwhal