whalebone whale

noun

any whale of the suborder Mysticeti, having plates of whalebone on the sides of the upper jaw for filtering plankton from the water.

Compare toothed whale.

Origin of whalebone whale

First recorded in 1715–25

Also called baleen whale.

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

British Dictionary definitions for whalebone whale

whalebone whale

noun

any whale belonging to the cetacean suborder Mysticeti, having a double blowhole and strips of whalebone between the jaws instead of teeth: includes the rorquals, right whales, and the blue whaleCompare toothed whale

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