white whale
1
6.5
- noun
- /waɪt weɪl/
- US
:
ballena blanca
- During the summer months, the white whale can be seen swimming near the icebergs in the Arctic waters.
Examples
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The beluga, a type of white whale, is known for its playful behavior and distinctive vocalizations.
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At Vancouver Aquarium, Canada, keepers suggested that a white whale about 15 years of age uttered his name "Lagosi."
Blog text (20) -
We believe this assumption is reasonable because the higher magnification allowed positive identification of small dark gray whales next to large white whales and the distinction between larger gray and white animals.
Academic text (2000) -
The first to study white whale (Delphinapterus leucas) sounds in the wild, Schevill and Lawrence wrote that "occasionally the calls would suggest a crowd of children shouting in the distance."
Blog text (20) -
In the frigid waters of the Arctic, the white whale stands out against the deep blue of the ocean.
Synonyms
4
7.4
A small white whale that lives in Arctic waters with no fin on its back
A small white whale that lives in cold Arctic waters
Surface Forms
Morphology
The meaning is directly compositional: 'white' (color) + 'whale' (marine mammal) yields a whale that is white, which a B1 learner who knows both words can readily infer. This color + noun compound is a common, cross-linguistic descriptive pattern, so the specific reference to the beluga may be new but the overall meaning is transparent.
Etymology
White whale The noun white whale comes from the animal's color. People in northern waters called the beluga a white whale because adults are bright white and easy to see there, so today the name means 'a small northern whale', especially the beluga.