sperm whale

noun

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

sperm whale

noun

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

Word History and Origins

Origin of sperm whale¹

First recorded in 1825–35

Word History and Origins

Origin of sperm whale¹

C19: short for _spermaceti whale

Example Sentences

It was an especially large type of whale called a sperm whale; from nose to tail it was as long as the Acorn itself.

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The scientists said deep divers, such as sperm whales, and pelagic dolphins showed a steadier increase in strandings since the 1990s.

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So too, as a result, has our understanding of their unique forms of communication, which turns out, in the sperm whale at least, to be structured, complex, and expressive.

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A sperm whale which died on Monday after washing up on the island of Raasay had been entangled in ropes.

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A sperm whale that died after stranding on the Isle of Harris in November 2019 had a 100kg "litter ball" in its stomach.

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