whalebone whale

American  

[hweyl-bohn hweyl, weyl-bohn weyl] / ˈʰweɪlˌboʊn ˌʰweɪl, ˈweɪlˌboʊn ˌweɪl /

noun

1. baleen whale.

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whalebone whale British  

noun

1. 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 whale Compare toothed whale

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Etymology

Origin of whalebone whale

First recorded in 1720–30

Example Sentences

In North America, right whales were called the true whale, the whalebone whale, the 7ft bone whale and the rock-nose whale.

From The Guardian • Jun. 20, 2018

"Do you suppose that's a whalebone whale, Hank?" asked the boy, turning to a lithe Yankee sea-dog with a scraggy gray beard who had been busily working over the mechanism of the whale-gun.

From The Boy With the U. S. Fisheries by Rolt-Wheeler, Francis

These pteropods are small, active, oceanic, surface-swimming creatures, many of which live in delicate glass-like shells, and some of which form a large part of the food of the whalebone whale.

From The Contemporary Review, Volume 36, September 1879 by Various

The most notable animals are the white-bear, the musk-ox, the reindeer, and the whalebone whale.

From The New Gresham Encyclopedia. Vol. 1 Part 2 Amiel to Atrauli by Various

A species of whalebone whale, the Megaptera longimana, which attains to 45 or 50 feet in length, and is distinguished by its low rounded dorsal fin.

From The Sailor's Word-Book An Alphabetical Digest of Nautical Terms, including Some More Especially Military and Scientific, but Useful to Seamen; as well as Archaisms of Early Voyagers, etc. by Belcher, Edward, Sir