RORQUAL

Pronunciation (US):

(GB):

 Dictionary entry overview: What does rorqual mean? 

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

1. any of several baleen whales of the family Balaenopteridae having longitudinal grooves on the throat and a small pointed dorsal fin

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

 Dictionary entry details 

• RORQUAL (noun)

Sense 1

Meaning:

Any of several baleen whales of the family Balaenopteridae having longitudinal grooves on the throat and a small pointed dorsal fin

Classified under:

Nouns denoting animals

Synonyms:

razorback; rorqual

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

baleen whale; whalebone whale (whale with plates of whalebone along the upper jaw for filtering plankton from the water)

Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "rorqual"):

Balaenoptera physalus; common rorqual; fin whale; finback; finback whale (large flat-headed whalebone whale having deep furrows along the throat; of Atlantic and Pacific)

Balaenoptera borealis; sei whale (similar to but smaller than the finback whale)

Balaenoptera acutorostrata; lesser rorqual; minke whale; piked whale (small finback of coastal waters of Atlantic and Pacific)

Holonyms ("rorqual" is a member of...):

Balaenopteridae; family Balaenopteridae (rorquals; blue whales)