sperm whale

noun

a large, square-snouted whale, Physeter catodon, valued for its oil and spermaceti: now reduced in number and rare in some areas.

sperm whale

a large toothed whale, Physeter catodon, having a square-shaped head and hunted for sperm oil, spermaceti, and ambergris: family Physeteridae Also calledcachalot

First recorded in 1825–35

C19: short for spermaceti whale

In the case of a small Sperm Whale the brains are accounted a fine dish.

The Sperm Whale blows as a clock ticks, with the same undeviating and reliable uniformity.

In life, the visible surface of the Sperm Whale is not the least among the many marvels he presents.

It must be borne in mind that all this time we have a Sperm Whale's prodigious head hanging to the Pequod's side.

Nor in the Sperm Whale are there any of those blinds of bone; no huge lower lip; and scarcely anything of a tongue.

Browse