Whales

/weɪlz/ noun

Definition

The largest marine mammals in the ocean that breathe air through blowholes; the plural of whale.

Etymology

From Old English 'hwæl' and Germanic roots. The word has applied to these massive sea creatures for over 1,000 years, and the etymology is shared with similar words in Scandinavian languages.

Kelly Says

Whales are actually closer relatives to cows and camels than to fish—they're mammals that returned to the ocean millions of years ago, and their 'blowholes' are actually evolved nostrils, not a different breathing system!

Related Words

Explore More Words

Get the Word Orb API

Complete word intelligence in one call. Free tier — 50 lookups/day.