baleen whale
1
5.6
- noun
- /bəˈlin weɪl/
- Specialized
:
ballena de barbilla
- The blue whale, a type of baleen whale, is known for its immense size and filter-feeding system.
Examples
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The humpback is a baleen whale.
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Otters and dugongs thrived in newly formed kelp forests and baleen whales were at their most diverse.
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The highlight of the morning was a large baleen whale that spent several minutes cruising with Hikianalia.
Blog text (7) -
The approximately 77 species of whales fall into two main categories: baleen whales and toothed whales.
Academic text (1994) -
The minke whale, the only whale Norwegians hunt today, is a smaller baleen whale that reaches a length of up to 10 meters.
Academic text (1994) -
In the Pacific Ocean, the gray baleen whale migrates thousands of miles each year to find food.
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The humpback baleen whale breaching the surface is a breathtaking sight for whale watchers.
Synonyms
809
1.0
A very large sea animal with a blowhole for breathing
1
9.9
A very large whale with comb-like plates in its mouth that filter small animals from sea water
A large whale that uses thin, brush-like plates in its mouth to filter tiny sea animals from water
Surface Forms
Morphology
The meaning is fully compositional: combining 'baleen' (the horny filter plates) with 'whale' yields a whale characterized by baleen. This follows the common noun–noun/type construction (a whale of a particular kind) found across languages, so a B1 learner who knows both constituents can derive the meaning.
Etymology
The name baleen whale comes from the long, brush-like plates called baleen that hang in the whale's mouth and act like a giant comb to strain water and trap tiny sea animals. So, baleen whale means 'a whale that filters food from the water'.