Definitions
from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.
- noun The elastic, horny material forming the fringed plates that hang from the upper jaw of baleen whales and strain plankton from the water.
- noun An object made of this material.
from The Century Dictionary.
- noun The elastic horny substance which grows in place of teeth in the upper jaw of whales of the family Balænidæ (hence called
whalebone or bone whales), forming a series of thin parallel plates from a few inches to several feet long; baleen (which see). - noun Something made of whalebone or baleen; a piece of whalebone prepared for some regular use: as, the whalebones of a corset.
- noun Specifically
- noun In the middle ages, ivory from the narwhal, walrus, or other sea-creature, or supposed to be from such a source. See
whale's bone , under whale, n. - Made of or containing whalebone.
from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.
- noun A firm, elastic substance resembling horn, taken from the upper jaw of the right whale; baleen. It is used as a stiffening in stays, fans, screens, and for various other purposes. See
baleen .
from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.
- noun The
horny material from the fringed plates of the upper jaw ofbaleen whales that are used to filterplankton ; once used asstays incorsets
from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.
- noun a horny material from the upper jaws of certain whales; used as the ribs of fans or as stays in corsets
Etymologies
Sorry, no etymologies found.
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Examples
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The substance which we call whalebone is not true bone.
Chatterbox, 1905. Various
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It yields the article commonly known as whalebone or baleen; and the oil specially known as “whale oil,” an inferior article in commerce.
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In the seam of one of the remaining divisions is inclosed a piece of whalebone, which is drawn over the head, and forms a perfect arch, leaving the head and neck bare.
Miss Caprice George Rathborne 1896
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In place of teeth it has the well-known substance called whalebone, which grows from the roof of its mouth in a number of broad thin plates, extending from the back of the head to the snout.
Fighting the Whales 1859
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In place of teeth it has the well-known substance called whalebone, which grows from the roof of its mouth in a number of broad thin plates, extending from the back of the head to the snout.
Fighting the Whales 1859
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It yields the article commonly known as whalebone or baleen; and the oil specially known as "whale oil," an inferior article in commerce.
Moby Dick, or, the whale Herman Melville 1855
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It yields the article commonly known as whalebone or baleen; and the oil specially known as "whale oil," an inferior article in commerce.
Moby Dick: or, the White Whale Herman Melville 1855
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It yields the article commonly known as whalebone or baleen; and the oil specially known as 'whale oil', an inferior article in commerce.
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"baleen" or "whalebone" -- each plank being as much as eight or in rare cases twelve feet long.
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The whalebone whale, again, has horny "whalebone" plates in its mouth, and no teeth; but the young foetal whale before it is born has teeth in its jaws; they, however, are never used, and they never come to anything.
Darwiniana : Essays — Volume 02 Thomas Henry Huxley 1860
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