Word origins - 2ed. J. Ayto. 2005.
Whale — Whale, n. [OE. whal, AS. hw[ae]l; akin to D. walvisch, G. wal, walfisch, OHG. wal, Icel. hvalr, Dan. & Sw. hval, hvalfisk. Cf. {Narwhal}, {Walrus}.] (Zo[ o]l.) Any aquatic mammal of the order {Cetacea}, especially any one of the large species,… … The Collaborative International Dictionary of English
Whale — (englisch für Wal) bezeichnet: Whale (Cumbria), eine Ortschaft im District Eden (Cumbria) der Grafschaft Cumbria, England Whale (Band), eine schwedische Popgruppe Whale, Spitzname der Douglas A 3 USS Whale (SS 239), ein US amerikanisches… … Deutsch Wikipedia
whale — whale1 [hwāl, wāl] n. pl. whales or whale [ME whal < OE hwæl, akin to OHG hwal, ON hvalr, MDu wal < IE base * (s)kwalos, a large fish > L squalus, big sea fish] 1. any member of either of two orders (Mysticeta and Odontoceta) of aquatic… … English World dictionary
whale — ► NOUN (pl. same or whales) ▪ a very large marine mammal with a horizontal tail fin and a blowhole on top of the head for breathing. ● a whale of a Cf. ↑a whale of a ● have a whale of a time Cf. ↑have a whale of a time … English terms dictionary
whale — whale; whale·man; gun·whale; nar·whale; … English syllables
Whale — Whales are marine mammals which are neither dolphins (i.e. members of the families Delphinidae or Platanistoidae) nor porpoises. Orcas (Killer Whales) and Pilot whales have whale in their name, though they are dolphins for the purpose of… … Wikipedia
whale — whale1 /hwayl, wayl/, n., pl. whales, (esp. collectively) whale, v., whaled, whaling. n. 1. any of the larger marine mammals of the order Cetacea, esp. as distinguished from the smaller dolphins and porpoises, having a fishlike body, forelimbs… … Universalium
whale — n. sea mammal 1) to harpoon a whale 2) a blue; bowhead; sperm; white whale 3) a school of whales 4) a young whale is a calf 5) a female whale is a cow 6) a male whale is a bull misc. 7) a whale of a good time ( a very good time ) * * * [weɪl]… … Combinatory dictionary
whale — I (New American Roget s College Thesaurus) n. cetacean; finback; blue, humpback, killer, sperm, sulphur bottom, or right whale; orca, rorqual, narwhal, blackfish, dolphin, porpoise, grampus; Moby Dick; informal, whopper. See size, animal. II… … English dictionary for students
whale — I. noun (plural whales) Usage: often attributive Etymology: Middle English, from Old English hwæl; akin to Old High German hwal whale and perhaps to Latin squalus sea fish Date: before 12th century 1. or plural whale cetacean; especially one (as… … New Collegiate Dictionary
Whale — Cette page d’homonymie répertorie les différents sujets et articles partageant un même nom. Whale peut faire référence à : baleine en anglais, mot que l on retrouve dans : Whale watching, une forme d écotourisme, Litany for the Whale,… … Wikipédia en Français
