BALEEN

whalebone, baleen

(noun) a horny material from the upper jaws of certain whales; used as the ribs of fans or as stays in corsets

Source: WordNet® 3.1

Etymology

Noun

baleen (countable and uncountable, plural baleens)

(physiology, uncountable) The bony material that makes up the plates in the mouth of the baleen whale, Mysticeti, which it uses to trap its food; formerly used in corsetry

(zoology, countable) a baleen whale

Synonyms

• whalebone

Anagrams

• enable

Source: Wiktionary

Ba*leen", n. Etym: [F. baleine whale and whalibone, L. balaena a whale; cf. Gr. . ] (Zoöl. & Com.)

Definition: Plates or blades of "whalebone," from two to twelve feet long, and sometimes a foot wide, which in certain whales (Balænoidea) are attached side by side along the upper jaw, and form a fringelike sieve by which the food is retained in the mouth.

Source: Webster’s Unabridged Dictionary 1913 Edition