porpoise

[ pawr-puh s ]

/ ˈpɔr pəs /

SEE SYNONYMS FOR porpoise ON THESAURUS.COM

noun, plural (especially collectively) por·poise, (especially referring to two or more kinds or species) por·pois·es.

any of several small, gregarious cetaceans of the genus Phocoena, usually blackish above and paler beneath, and having a blunt, rounded snout, especially the common porpoise, P. phocoena, of both the North Atlantic and Pacific.

any of several other small cetaceans, as the common dolphin, Delphinus delphis.

verb (used without object), por·poised, por·pois·ing.

(of a speeding motorboat) to leap clear of the water after striking a wave.

(of a torpedo) to appear above the surface of the water.

to move forward with a rising and falling motion in the manner of a porpoise: The car has a tendency to porpoise when overloaded.

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Are you the Cinderella of this week’s quiz? Test your memory on the words and definitions from March 23–29.

Question 1 of 7

schlep

to say or do hesitantly or awkwardly

to fold or wind around something

to carry; lug

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Origin of porpoise

1275–1325; Middle English porpoys < Middle French porpois < Vulgar Latin *porcopiscis hog fish, for Latin porcus marīnus sea hog

OTHER WORDS FROM porpoise

por·poise·like, adjective

Words nearby porpoise

porphyroblast, porphyrogenite, porphyroid, porphyropsin, porphyry, porpoise, porrect, porridge, porrigo, porringer, porro prism

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2020

Example sentences from the Web for porpoise

A thick layer of mud covers their bodies, which are nearly always smeared with seal or porpoise oil.
The Human Race|Louis Figuier
There was a hissing sound as the sea water rushed in, and the Porpoise gave a sudden lurch.
Under the Ocean to the South Pole|Roy Rockwood
He might as well have tried to get early speed out of a porpoise.
Old Man Curry|Charles E. (Charles Emmett) Van Loan
He was very anxious to be away again, and urged on Porpoise to do his utmost to expedite the refitting of the yacht.
The Cruise of the Frolic|W.H.G. Kingston

Then the mast snapped, water rushed in, and soon the Porpoise was a hopeless wreck.
A Book of Discovery|Margaret Bertha (M. B.) Synge

British Dictionary definitions for porpoise

porpoise

/ (ˈpɔːpəs) /

noun plural -poises or -poise

any of various small cetacean mammals of the genus Phocaena and related genera, having a blunt snout and many teeth: family Delphinidae (or Phocaenidae)

(not in technical use) any of various related cetaceans, esp the dolphin

Word Origin for porpoise

C14: from French pourpois, from Medieval Latin porcopiscus (from Latin porcus pig + piscis fish), replacing Latin porcus marīnus sea pig

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

porpoise

noun, plural (especially collectively) por·poise, (especially referring to two or more kinds or species) por·pois·es.

verb (used without object), por·poised, por·pois·ing.

QUIZZES

Origin of porpoise

OTHER WORDS FROM porpoise

Words nearby porpoise

Words related to porpoise

Example sentences from the Web for porpoise

British Dictionary definitions for porpoise

noun plural -poises or -poise

Word Origin for porpoise