BALEEN

Pronunciation (US):

(GB):

IPA (US):

 Dictionary entry overview: What does baleen mean? 

• BALEEN (noun)
  The noun BALEEN has 1 sense:

1. a horny material from the upper jaws of certain whales; used as the ribs of fans or as stays in corsets

  Familiarity information: BALEEN used as a noun is very rare.

 Dictionary entry details 

• BALEEN (noun)

Sense 1

Meaning:

A horny material from the upper jaws of certain whales; used as the ribs of fans or as stays in corsets

Classified under:

Nouns denoting substances

Synonyms:

baleen; whalebone

Hypernyms ("baleen" is a kind of...):

horn (the material (mostly keratin) that covers the horns of ungulates and forms hooves and claws and nails)

 Context examples 

If wax esters are difficult to digest, how can bowhead and other baleen whales do so efficiently?

(Whales may owe their efficient digestion to millions of tiny microbes, National Science Foundation)

The ambient sound field is dominated by the sound of earthquakes, both near and far, as well as distinct moans of baleen whales, and the clamor of a category 4 typhoon that just happened to pass overhead.

(Seven miles deep, the ocean is still a noisy place, NOAA)