whalebone whale
noun
any whale of the suborder Mysticeti, having plates of whalebone on the sides of the upper jaw for filtering plankton from the water.
Also called
baleen whale.
Compare
toothed whale.
Origin of whalebone whale
First recorded in 1715–25
Words nearby whalebone whale
whale oil,
whale shark,
whaleback,
whaleboat,
whalebone,
whalebone whale,
whaleman,
whalen,
whaler,
whaler shark,
whales
British Dictionary definitions for whalebone whale
whalebone whale
noun
any whale belonging to the cetacean suborder Mysticeti, having a double blowhole and strips of whalebone between the jaws instead of teeth: includes the rorquals, right whales, and the blue whale
Compare toothed whale