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narwhalian

 - 2 dictionary results

nar⋅whal

  [nahr-wuhl]
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–noun
a small arctic whale, Monodon monoceros, the male of which has a long, spirally twisted tusk extending forward from the upper jaw.
Also, narwal, nar⋅whale  [nahr-hweyl, -weyl] .

Origin:
1650–60; < Scand; cf. Norw, Sw, Dan nar(h)val, reshaped from ON nāhvalr, equiv. to nār corpse + hvalr whale 1 ; allegedly so called because its skin resembles that of a human corpse

Related forms:
nar⋅whal⋅i⋅an  [nahr-hwey-lee-uhn, -wey-, -wol-ee-] , adjective
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
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Word Origin & History

narwhal 
1658, from Dan. and Norw. narhval, probably a metathesis of O.N. nahvalr, lit. "corpse-whale," from na "corpse" + hvalr "whale" (see whale). So called from resemblance of whitish color to that of dead bodies. The first element is cognate with O.E. ne, neo, Goth. naus "corpse," O.Cornish naun, O.C.S. navi, O.Pruss. nowis "corpse," Lett. nawe "death," Lith. novyti "to torture, kill."
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
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