walrus

[wawl-ruhs, wol-]

noun

plural

walruses ,

plural

walrus .

1. a large marine mammal, Odobenus nosmarus, of Arctic seas, related to the seals, and having flippers, a pair of large tusks, and a tough, wrinkled skin.

walrus

/ ˈwɔːlrəs, ˈwɒl- /

noun

1. a pinniped mammal, Odobenus rosmarus, of northern seas, having a tough thick skin, upper canine teeth enlarged as tusks, and coarse whiskers and feeding mainly on shellfish: family Odobenidae

Word History and Origins

Origin of walrus¹

First recorded in 1645–55; from Dutch: literally, “whale horse”; cognate with German Walross, Danish hvalros; compare Old English horshwæl “horse-whale”

Word History and Origins

Origin of walrus¹

C17: probably from Dutch, from Scandinavian; compare Old Norse hrosshvalr (literally: horse whale) and Old English horschwæl; see _horse , _whale

Example Sentences

I refuse to bury the Chiefs, because they have torched me so many times—presuming their inevitable demise, only to see clever coach Andy Reid pull off another victory by the walrus whiskers.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

So many walruses had hauled themselves out of the water that the beach couldn’t fit them all.

Read more on Literature

As the Chukchi Sea experiences longer periods without ice and the female and juvenile walruses spend more time resting on land, it makes them vulnerable to human and predator activity.

Read more on Salon

Before it’s over, we’ll see grizzly bears, moose, elephants, walruses, rhinos and more — an amalgam of the more than 75 detailed habitat displays that are at the heart of the museum’s exhibits.

Read more on Los Angeles Times

Aside from a handful of walruses and polar bears, the crew are entirely alone.

Read more on BBC

When To Use

Plural word for walrus

The plural form of walrus is walruses.  The plurals of several other singular words ending in -us are also formed in this way, such as virus/viruses, sinus/sinuses, and syllabus/syllabuses.In some words derived from Latin that end in -us, the irregular plural ending -i may be used instead, as in fungus/fungi and cactus/cacti. However, this ending is not valid for walrus. Walri would be an invalid plural form for walrus.