whaleback

[ hweyl-bak, weyl- ]

/ ˈʰweɪlˌbæk, ˈweɪl- /

Save This Word!

noun

Nautical.

a cargo vessel having a hull with a convex deck.
a deck or cover curving upward.

something shaped like the back of a whale, as a rounded hill or an ocean wave.

QUIZ

CAN YOU ANSWER THESE COMMON GRAMMAR DEBATES?

There are grammar debates that never die; and the ones highlighted in the questions in this quiz are sure to rile everyone up once again. Do you know how to answer the questions that cause some of the greatest grammar debates?

Question 1 of 7

Which sentence is correct?

His boss, whom he admires, is waiting to meet with him about the big project.

His boss, who he admires, is waiting to meet with him about the big project.

TAKE THE QUIZ TO FIND OUT

Origin of whaleback

First recorded in 1885–90; whale¹ + back¹

Words nearby whaleback

whaikorero, whakairo, whakapapa, whale, whale away, whaleback, whaleboat, whalebone, whalebone whale, whale catcher, whaleman

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use whaleback in a sentence

With ample artillery and fresh reserves at our command we were determined to gain the summit of the whaleback in a final drive.
The Story of the Great War, Volume VIII (of VIII)|various
An artistic illustration is given of the "whaleback" steamer, used principally on our Northern lakes.
My Native Land|James Cox
I can't make out what they are on; but it looks like a whaleback to me, with her upper works carried away.
Across India|Oliver Optic
A large whaleback steamship may be relieved of its 200,000 bushels in about three hours.
Commercial Geography|Jacques W. Redway

Beyond them lay a filmy blue whaleback of an island which he was told was Sark, and it was to Sark he was bound.
Pearl of Pearl Island|John Oxenham

British Dictionary definitions for whaleback

whaleback

/ (ˈweɪlˌbæk) /

noun

something shaped like the back of a whale

a steamboat having a curved upper deck

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