cetacean
From Wiktionary, the free dictionary
Etymology
From translingual Cetacea, from Latin cētus (“whale”), + -an.
Pronunciation
Adjective
cetacean (comparative more cetacean, superlative most cetacean)
- Pertaining to the zoologic infraorder Cetacea, or associated with species falling under that taxonomic hierarchy.
- The poached blubber was definitely cetacean in origin, but the particular species could not be identified.
- 2012, Hampton Roads Republican US Senate Debate Summary:
- She was not as demure as she was in Roanoke; she seemed at the beginning rather like she felt more comfortable in the oceanic atmosphere harpooning her opponent. Indeed, at times, it seemed she was Ahab and the witherwin Allen was her Moby Dick; but while she sails her Pequod just as intently toward a singular goal, her alastor is much less clear and she bears no visible scars of a cetacean attacker.
- (by extension, sometimes figurative) Resembling or relating to large aquatic mammals.
- The obese woman, ungainly on land, moved with a kind of cetacean grace in the water.
Synonyms
- (belonging to infraorder Cetacea): cetaceous
Noun
cetacean (plural cetaceans)
- An animal belonging to the infraorder Cetacea, including dolphins, porpoises, and whales.
- The tour promised spiritual experiences with humpback whales and other cetaceans, but all we saw were seagulls and a dead sea otter.
Derived terms
Translations
an animal belonging to the infraorder Cetacea
|
Wikiwand in your browser!
Seamless Wikipedia browsing. On steroids.
Every time you click a link to Wikipedia, Wiktionary or Wikiquote in your browser's search results, it will show the modern Wikiwand interface.
Wikiwand extension is a five stars, simple, with minimum permission required to keep your browsing private, safe and transparent.
