View synonyms for cetacean

cetacean

[ si-tey-shuhn ]

Phonetic (Standard)IPA

adjective

belonging to the Cetacea, an order of aquatic, chiefly marine mammals, including the whales and dolphins.

cetacean

/ sɪˈteɪʃən /

of, relating to, or belonging to the Cetacea, an order of aquatic placental mammals having no hind limbs and a blowhole for breathing: includes toothed whales (dolphins, porpoises, etc) and whalebone whales (rorquals, right whales, etc)

cetacean

/ sĭ-tā′shən /

Any of various, often very large aquatic mammals of the order Cetacea, having a hairless body that resembles that of a fish. Cetaceans have an elongated skull, a flat, horizontal tail, forelimbs modified into broad flippers, and no hind limbs. They breathe through blowholes located usually at the top of the skull. Whales, dolphins, and porpoises are cetaceans.
See more at baleen whale

1830–40; < New Latin Cetace ( a ) name of the order ( cet-, -acea ) + -an

C19: from New Latin Cētācea, ultimately from Latin cētus whale, from Greek kētos

He went and stood on the bank, in the interest of science, and studied the habits of the cetacean, but he got no results.

He ran away through the woods around the north shore, and I ran after, to see him study the habits of the cetacean.

In his agony, the great cetacean, instead of sounding, threw himself blindly toward the boat.

The enormous cetacean disappeared and reappeared as the waves rose and fell, showing its black back like a rock in open sea.

One must harpoon him like a cetacean with questions to make him talk at all.

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