narwhal

[nahr-wuh l]

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noun

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

Also nar·wal, nar·whale

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

Origin of narwhal

1650–60; < 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

Related formsnar·whal·i·an

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

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for narwhal

Historical Examples of narwhal

Why the narwhal's tooth does not conform to this rule is a mystery.
More Science From an Easy Chair
Sir E. Ray (Edwin Ray) Lankester
The top of this totem is an exact replica of our narwhal horn.
The Boy Scouts on the Yukon
Ralph Victor
In the 'tween-decks of the Narwhal, Buck and Curly joined two other dogs.
The Call of the Wild
Jack London
And—I think I may say I have the finest collection of narwhal tusks in the world.
Actions and Reactions
Rudyard Kipling
You know the unicorn is always represented with a narwhal's tusk?
The Boy With the U. S. Fisheries
Francis Rolt-Wheeler

British Dictionary definitions for narwhal

narwhal

narwal narwhale (ˈnɑːˌweɪl)

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

Word Origin and History for narwhal

1650s, from Danish and Norwegian narhval, probably a metathesis of Old Norse nahvalr, literally "corpse-whale," from na "corpse" + hvalr "whale" (see whale). So called from resemblance of its whitish color to that of dead bodies. The first element is from PIE *nau- "death; to be exhausted" (cf. Old English ne, neo, Gothic naus "corpse," Old Cornish naun, Old Church Slavonic navi, Old Prussian nowis "corpse," Lettish nawe "death," Lithuanian novyti "to torture, kill").