whale
1
[ hweyl, weyl ]
/ ʰweɪl, weɪl /
noun, plural whales, (especially collectively) whale.
any of the larger marine mammals of the order Cetacea, especially as distinguished from the smaller dolphins and porpoises, having a fishlike body, forelimbs modified into flippers, and a head that is horizontally flattened.
Informal.
something big, great, or fine of its kind: I had a whale of a time in Europe.
(initial capital letter) Astronomy.
the constellation Cetus.
verb (used without object), whaled, whal·ing.
to engage in whaling or whale fishing.
Origin of whale
1
before 900; Middle English; Old English
hwæl; cognate with German
Wal- in
Walfisch, Old Norse
hvalr; perhaps akin to Latin
squalus kind of fish
WORDS THAT MAY BE CONFUSED WITH whale
wail whaleWords nearby whale
whacko,
whacky,
whaikorero,
whakairo,
whakapapa,
whale,
whale away,
whale catcher,
whale of a time,
whale oil,
whale shark
Definition for whale (2 of 2)
whale
2
[ hweyl, weyl ]
/ ʰweɪl, weɪl /
verb, whaled, whal·ing,
to hit, thrash, or beat soundly.
Origin of whale
2
First recorded in 1780–90; origin uncertain
Example sentences from the Web for whale
British Dictionary definitions for whale (1 of 2)
whale
1
/ (weɪl) /
noun plural whales or whale
any of the larger cetacean mammals, excluding dolphins, porpoises, and narwhals. They have flippers, a streamlined body, and a horizontally flattened tail and breathe through a blowhole on the top of the head
Related adjective: cetacean
any cetacean mammal
See also toothed whale, whalebone whale
slang
a gambler who has the capacity to win and lose large sums of money in a casino
a whale of a informal
an exceptionally large, fine, etc, example of a (person or thing)
we had a whale of a time on holiday
Word Origin for whale
Old English
hwæl; related to Old Saxon, Old High German
hwal, Old Norse
hvalr, Latin
squalus seapig
British Dictionary definitions for whale (2 of 2)
whale
2
/ (weɪl) /
verb
(tr)
to beat or thrash soundly
Word Origin for whale
C18: variant of
wale
1