rorqual

[ rawr-kwuh l ]
/ ˈrɔr kwəl /
SEE SYNONYMS FOR rorqual ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

any of several whales of the genus Balaenoptera; finback.

Origin of rorqual

1820–30; < French < Norwegian rørkval, Old Norse reytharhvalr, equivalent to reyth(a)r rorqual (akin to rauthr red1) + hvalr whale1

Words nearby rorqual

roquelaure, roquet, roquette, roraima, rorem, rorqual, rorschach, rorschach test, rort, rorter, rory

Words related to rorqual

mammal, porpoise, whopper, cetacean, grampus, baleen, finback, beluga, narwhal, orca, ceta, cete, orc, sei

Example sentences from the Web for rorqual

British Dictionary definitions for rorqual

rorqual
/ (ˈrɔːkwəl) /

noun

any of several whalebone whales of the genus Balaenoptera, esp B. physalus : family Balaenopteridae . They have a dorsal fin and a series of grooves along the throat and chest Also called: finback

Word Origin for rorqual

C19: from French, from Norwegian rörhval, from Old Norse reytharhvalr, from reythr (from rauthr red) + hvalr whale