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walrus - 4 dictionary results
wal⋅rus
[wawl-ruh
s, wol-] 
–noun, plural -rus⋅es, (especially collectively) -rus.
) -rus. | a large marine mammal, Odobenus nosmarus, of arctic seas, related to the seals, and having flippers, a pair of large tusks, and a tough, wrinkled skin. |
Origin:
1645–55; < D: lit., whale horse; c. G Walross, Dan hvalros; cf. OE horshwæl horse-whale
1645–55; < D: lit., whale horse; c. G Walross, Dan hvalros; cf. OE horshwæl horse-whale
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
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Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2009.
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Link To walrus
| wal·rus (wôl'rəs, wŏl'-) n. pl. walrus or wal·rus·es A large marine mammal (Odobenus rosmarus) of Arctic regions, related to the seals and having two long tusks, tough wrinkled skin, and four flippers. Also called sea horse. [Dutch, of Scandinavian origin.] |
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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Copyright © 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Company.
Published by Houghton Mifflin Company. All rights reserved.
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Walrus
Wal"rus\, n. [D. walrus; of Scand. origin; cf. Dan valros, Sw. vallross, Norw. hvalros; literally, whale horse; akin to Icel. hrosshvalr, AS. horshw[ae]l. See Whale, and Horse.] (Zo["o]l.) A very large marine mammal (Trichecus rosmarus) of the Seal family, native of the Arctic Ocean. The male has long and powerful tusks descending from the upper jaw. It uses these in procuring food and in fighting. It is hunted for its oil, ivory, and skin. It feeds largely on mollusks. Called also morse. Note: The walrus of the North Pacific and Behring Strait (Trichecus obesus) is regarded by some as a distinct species, by others as a variety of the common walrus.
Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary, © 1996, 1998 MICRA, Inc.
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Language Translation for : walrus
Spanish:
morsa,
German:
das Walroß,
Japanese:
せいうち
walrus
1655, from Du. walrus, which was probably a folk-etymology alteration (by influence of Du. walvis "whale" and ros "horse") of a Scand. word, such as O.N. rosmhvalr "walrus," hrosshvalr "a kind of whale," or rostungr "walrus." O.E. had horschwæl, and later morse, from Lapp morsa or Finnish mursu, which may ult. be the source, much garbled, of the first element in O.N. rosmhvalr.
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2001 Douglas Harper
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