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narwhale

narwhale

1 8.5
A small Arctic whale whose males have a long twisted tusk on their heads
  • noun
  • /ˈnɑrˌweɪl/
  • US
translation icon : narval
  • At any moment, Sir Captain Goosey may tromp belowdecks, and then you'd meet with sharper mouths than narwhales, and the rest of your adventure would be rank digestion, nothing more.
  • narwhale horn

Examples

  • Swing, Master Pendulum, what other chance have you? Not a narwhale left to the horizon, we've struck into shark country now.

    Fiction book (2001)
  • "She pointed out three graceful line figures, cut presumably with axe blades: a walrus, a narwhale, and a dragon."

    Fiction book (1991)
  • The seals, the beluga, the narwhale, the polar bear, the fish.

  • And what of his narwhale horn—the gift of the sea?

    Fiction book (2001)
  • So they were out on their boats and they with Spears going to hunt narwhal way and time to narwhale on those narwhals.

  • Wishart, Tartary, and Infanta became the very first narwhales, of course, those wonderful sleek whales with the long, twisting single horns.

    Fiction book (1994)
  • She trails a hawser, so grasp it, Master Hoel, twist off ye narwhale's horn—a gift of the sea—jam it into your belt for later use.

    Fiction book (2001)
  • The narwhale is known for its long, spiral tusk, which can reach lengths of up to ten feet.

  • In the Arctic waters, the narwhale swims alongside icebergs, showcasing its unique tusk.

  • Fishermen often marvel at the narwhale's tusk, which resembles a unicorn's horn.

Synonyms

narwhal
vsnarwhale
  • US
4 8.4

A small Arctic whale with a long spiral tusk on its head

has identical meaning but differs in spelling or common form
narwal
vsnarwhale
  • US
8.6

A small Arctic whale whose male has a long spiral tusk from its upper jaw

has identical meaning but appears in an alternate written form
Monodon monoceros
vsnarwhale
  • Specialized
9.3

The scientific name of the narwhal, a large Arctic whale whose males have a long spiral tusk

has the same meaning but is the everyday English name rather than Latin term

Surface Forms

narwhale singular
narwhales plural

Morphology

narwhale = whale (semi-transparent) = nar + whale

The element 'whale' clearly signals the category (a kind of whale), but 'nar' is not a productive English morpheme and does not transparently indicate the distinctive tusked meaning.

Etymology

Narwhale comes from old Norse words nár 'corpse' and hvalr 'whale', because sailors thought its pale, spotted skin looked like a drowned body. That's why narwhale now means the Arctic whale known for its long, spiral tusk.