bottle-nosed whale

7.5

A whale with a rounded forehead that lives in the North Atlantic

noun
/ˈbɑtəlˌnoʊzd weɪl/

: delfín mular

The bottle-nosed whale is known for its distinctive bulbous forehead and deep-diving skills.

Examples

Marine biologists study the unique echolocation abilities of the bottle-nosed whale.
A large bottle-nosed whale was spotted off the coast of Scotland last week.
The bottle-nosed whale is known for its distinctive shape.
Many bottle-nosed whales migrate during the winter months.
A large bottle-nosed whale was spotted off the coast of Scotland last week.
Marine biologists study the unique echolocation abilities of the bottle-nosed whale.
The bottle-nosed whale is known for its distinctive bulbous forehead and deep-diving skills.

Synonyms

whale

vsbottle-nosed whale

809 1.0

A very large sea animal with a blowhole for breathing

is a single northern species, not the whole marine mammal group

toothed whale

vsbottle-nosed whale

1 5.0

A whale that has teeth and eats fish or squid, like dolphins and porpoises

is narrower, meaning a particular beaked species in one region

bottlenose

vsbottle-nosed whale

1 8.8

A whale with a long beak and rounded forehead that lives in the northern Atlantic

is the same species but expressed with a different name form

bottlenose whale

vsbottle-nosed whale

1 7.2

A large whale with a rounded forehead and a long beak

is the same concept but uses an alternative common label

beaked whale

vsbottle-nosed whale

Specialized

1 7.4

A medium-sized whale with a long narrow snout that dives deep in oceans

is narrower, pointing to one northern species with a bulbous forehead

Hyperoodon ampullatus

vsbottle-nosed whale

Specialized

9.9

A large whale with a long pointed nose and round forehead that lives in the North Atlantic

is the usual common name rather than the scientific label

Hyperoodon

vsbottle-nosed whale

Specialized

9.9

A large whale with a rounded forehead and a bottle-shaped nose that dives deep

is more specific, referring to one species with a bulbous forehead

Surface Forms

bottle-nosed whale singular

bottle-nosed whales plural

Morphology

bottle-nosed + whale

The meaning 'a whale with a bottle-shaped nose/forehead' is directly derivable from combining 'bottle' + 'nosed' (having a nose like a bottle) with 'whale'. This is a straightforward descriptive compound following normal English morphology and similar shape-based compounds exist cross-linguistically, so a B1 learner who knows the parts will likely infer the meaning.

Etymology

The name bottle-nosed whale comes from the whale's head shape: its bottle-like nose, the round, bulging front of the head, looks like the neck of a bottle, so the name describes this animal today.