cetacean
[ si-tey-shuh n ]
/ sɪˈteɪ ʃən /
adjective
belonging to the Cetacea, an order of aquatic, chiefly marine mammals, including the whales and dolphins.
noun
a cetacean mammal.
OTHER WORDS FROM cetacean
ce·ta·ceous, adjectiveWords nearby cetacean
Example sentences from the Web for cetacean
British Dictionary definitions for cetacean
cetacean
/ (sɪˈteɪʃən) /
adjective Also: cetaceous
of, relating to, or belonging to the Cetacea, an order of aquatic placental mammals having no hind limbs and a blowhole for breathing: includes toothed whales (dolphins, porpoises, etc) and whalebone whales (rorquals, right whales, etc)
noun
a whale
Word Origin for cetacean
C19: from New Latin
Cētācea, ultimately from Latin
cētus whale, from Greek
kētos
Scientific definitions for cetacean
cetacean
[ sĭ-tā′shən ]
Any of various, often very large aquatic mammals of the order Cetacea, having a hairless body that resembles that of a fish. Cetaceans have an elongated skull, a flat, horizontal tail, forelimbs modified into broad flippers, and no hind limbs. They breathe through blowholes located usually at the top of the skull. Whales, dolphins, and porpoises are cetaceans. See more at baleen whale toothed whale.