bowhead

American  

[boh-hed] / ˈboʊˌhɛd /

noun

1. a baleen whale, Balaena mysticetus, of northern seas, having an enormous head and mouth: an endangered species.

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bowhead British  

/ ˈbəʊˌhɛd /

noun

1. a large-mouthed arctic whale, Balaena mysticetus , that has become rare through overfishing but is now a protected species

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Etymology

Origin of bowhead

First recorded in 1885–90; bow ² + head

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

bowhead

Other whale species include North Pacific gray whales, the North Atlantic right whale, minke, sperm, fin and bowhead whales.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 25, 2025

Like right whales, before that analysis, researchers thought bowhead whales lived to about 80 years, and that humans were the mammals that lived the longest.

From Salon ● Dec. 27, 2024

Scientists currently assume they live about 80 or 90 years, but that’s what we believed about bowhead and right whales until data proved they can live much longer.

From Salon ● Dec. 27, 2024

Shipping in the western Chukchi Sea has increased about 13% since 2009; however, there hasn't yet been an increase in bowhead ship-strikes "that we know of," she emphasized.

From Science Daily ● Feb. 21, 2024

"A bowhead, sir!" he cried when he saw Rainey.

From A Man to His Mate by Mulford, Stockton