odontocete

[oh-don-tuh-seet]

o·don·to·cete

[oh-don-tuh-seet]
noun Zoology.
any whale of the suborder Odontoceti, as dolphins, killer whales, and sperm whales, characterized by an asymmetrical skull, a single blowhole, and rows of teeth, feeding primarily on fish, squid, and crustaceans.
Compare mysticete.


Origin:
1880–85; < Neo-Latin Odontoceti, equivalent to odonto- odonto- + ceti, plural of cetus whale, Latin cētus < Greek kêtos
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Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2012.
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Odontocete is always a great word to know.
So is vertebrate. Does it mean:
having a backbone or spinal column
warm-blooded vertebrate with feathers, wings, scaly legs and beak which bear young in shelled eggs
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