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grampus

 - 4 dictionary results

gram⋅pus

  [gram-puhs]
Use grampus in a Sentence
–noun, plural -pus⋅es.
1. a cetacean, Grampus griseus, of the dolphin family, widely distributed in northern seas.
2. any of various related cetaceans, as the killer whale, Orcinus (Orca) orca.
3. a giant whip scorpion common to Florida.
Origin:
1520–30; earlier grampoys, var. (by assimilation) of graundepose great fish, equiv. to graunde grand + pose, poys < MF pois, peis < L pisce- (s. of piscis) fish; r. ME gra(s)peis < MF ≪ L crassus piscis fat fish
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
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gram·pus   (grām'pəs)   
n.  

  1. A cetacean (Grampus griseus) related to and resembling the dolphins but lacking a beaklike snout.

  2. Any of various similar cetaceans, such as the killer whale.


[Alteration (perhaps influenced by grand) of Middle English graspeis, from Old French craspois, graspeis, from Medieval Latin crassus piscis, craspiscis : Latin crassus, fat + Latin piscis, fish.]
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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Word Origin & History

grampus 
1529, from Anglo-Fr. grampais, altered (by infl. of grand) from O.Fr. graspeis, from M.L. craspicis, lit. "fat fish," from L. crassus "thick" + piscis "fish."
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
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Encyclopedia

grampus

a common offshore inhabitant of tropical and temperate ocean waters, a member of the dolphin family (Delphinidae). The grampus measures about 4 metres (approximately 13 feet) in length and has a blunt head and a distinct longitudinal forehead crease. It is unique among dolphins in usually having no upper teeth and from zero to seven teeth in the lower jaw. Older males are heavily scarred about the head and trunk, apparently owing to encounters with other grampuses.

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

Encyclopedia Britannica, 2008. Encyclopedia Britannica Online.
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