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baleen

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ba⋅leen

  [buh-leen]
Use baleen in a Sentence
–noun
whalebone (def. 1).
Origin:
1275–1325; ME balene (< AF baleine, beleine) < L bal(l)ēna, var. of bal(l)aena whale < an unidentified language, also the source of Gk phál(l)aina whale; r. ME balayn < MF balaine whale(bone) < L, as above
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
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ba·leen   (bə-lēn')   
n.  See whalebone.

[Middle English balene, from Old French baleine, from Latin balaena, whale, from Greek phalaina; see bhel-2 in Indo-European roots.]
whale·bone   (hwāl'bōn', wāl'-)   
n.  

  1. The elastic, horny material forming the fringed plates that hang from the upper jaw of baleen whales and strain plankton from the water. Also called baleen.

  2. An object made of this material.

The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition
Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Science Dictionary
baleen   (bə-lēn')  Pronunciation Key 
A flexible horny substance hanging in fringed plates from the upper jaw of baleen whales. It is used to strain plankton from seawater when feeding. Also called whalebone.
The American Heritage® Science Dictionary
Copyright © 2002. Published by Houghton Mifflin. All rights reserved.
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Encyclopedia

baleen

series of stiff keratinous plates in the mouths of baleen whales, used to strain plankton from seawater. Whalebone was once important in the production of corsets, brushes, and other goods

Learn more about baleen with a free trial on Britannica.com.

Encyclopedia Britannica, 2008. Encyclopedia Britannica Online.
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