Whales
[hweylz, weylz]
- Bay of, an inlet of the Ross Sea, in Antarctica: location of Little America.
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whale1
[hweyl, weyl]
- any of the larger marine mammals of the order Cetacea, especially as distinguished from the smaller dolphins and porpoises, having a fishlike body, forelimbs modified into flippers, and a head that is horizontally flattened.
- Informal. something big, great, or fine of its kind: I had a whale of a time in Europe.
- (initial capital letter) Astronomy. the constellation Cetus.
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- to engage in whaling or whale fishing.
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Origin of whale1
before 900; Middle English; Old English hwæl; cognate with German Wal- in Walfisch, Old Norse hvalr; perhaps akin to Latin squalus kind of fish
whale2
[hweyl, weyl]
- to hit, thrash, or beat soundly.
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Origin of whale2
First recorded in 1780–90; origin uncertain
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018
Examples from the Web for whales
Contemporary Examples
According to the activists, at least one of the whales is female and goes by the name “Narnia.”
And this in turn affects the fish, whales, dolphins, turtles, dugongs and seabirds that live within the Reef.
From whales to ships to unlucky explorers, the Skeleton Coast has become the graveyard of many.
But which mammals are their closest relatives, and when did whales enter the seas?
How Long Is a Year? Is the Earth Slowing Down? And Other Questions About TimeNeil Shubin
January 6, 2013
But the TARP did not just feed the whales of the American banking system.
Historical Examples
Thor caught two whales and carried them to the giant's house, as he had promised.
Classic MythsMary Catherine Judd
I've been turnin' out another school of swordfish and whales, too.
ShavingsJoseph C. Lincoln
It is so with earthquakes, cases of hydrophobia, whales stranded on the shore.
Introduction to the Study of HistoryCharles V. Langlois
Then we ran close to the neighborhood of a school of whales, evidently feeding.
Tales of FishesZane Grey
He did so, but he said that they were not whales; they were porpoises.
Rollo on the AtlanticJacob Abbott
whale1
- any of the larger cetacean mammals, excluding dolphins, porpoises, and narwhals. They have flippers, a streamlined body, and a horizontally flattened tail and breathe through a blowhole on the top of the headRelated adjective: cetacean
- any cetacean mammalSee also toothed whale, whalebone whale
- slang a gambler who has the capacity to win and lose large sums of money in a casino
- a whale of a informal an exceptionally large, fine, etc, example of a (person or thing)we had a whale of a time on holiday
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Word Origin
Old English hwæl; related to Old Saxon, Old High German hwal, Old Norse hvalr, Latin squalus seapig
whale2
- (tr) to beat or thrash soundly
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Word Origin
C18: variant of wale 1
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
Word Origin and History for whales
whale
n.
Old English hwæl, from Proto-Germanic *khwalaz (cf. Old Saxon hwal, Old Norse hvalr, hvalfiskr, Swedish val, Middle Dutch wal, walvisc, Dutch walvis, Old High German wal, German Wal); probably cognate with Latin squalus "a kind of large sea fish." Phrase whale of a "excellent or large example" is c.1900, student slang.
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whale
v.
"beat, whip severely," 1790, possibly a variant of wale (v.).
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Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper