narwhal

[ nahr-wuhl ]

noun

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

narwhal

/ ˈnɑːˌweɪl; ˈnɑːwəl /

noun

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

Other Words From

• nar·whal·i·an [nahr-, hwey, -lee-, uh, n, -, wey, -, -, wol, -ee-], adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of narwhal¹

First recorded in 1650–60; from Scandinavian; compare Norwegian, Swedish, Danish nar(h)val, reshaped from Old Norse nāhvalr, equivalent to nār “corpse” + hvalr whale ¹; allegedly so called because its skin resembles that of a human corpse

Word History and Origins

Origin of narwhal¹

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

Example Sentences

I was drawn to creating narwhals because they are so unique and mysterious that I felt a sighting would stimulate interesting conversations.

From Washington Post

I also wanted them to appear to be swimming around the post, hence needing the entire form of the narwhal.

From Washington Post

Those “unicorn horns” were actually narwhal tusks collected at sea.

From Science News For Students

Besides a few crumbs, it contained a small lump of narwhal blubber and a little packet.

From Project Gutenberg

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.

From Project Gutenberg

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.

From Project Gutenberg

The tow-line which Qasiagssaq was using to-day was furnished with toggles of pure narwhal tusk.

From Project Gutenberg

Like the other medium-sized whale in the same region, the beluga or white whale, the narwhal has no dorsal fin.

From Project Gutenberg

Related Words

• mammal
• porpoise