Definitions
from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition.
- noun A large marine mammal (Odobenus rosmarus) of Arctic regions, related to the seals and having two long tusks, tough wrinkled skin, and four flippers.
from The Century Dictionary.
- noun Any member of the family Trichechidæ (or Ros maridæ); a very large pinniped carnivorous mammal, related to the seals, having in the male enormous canine teeth protruding like tusks from the upper jaw.
from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English.
- noun (Zoöl.) A very large marine mammal (
Trichecus rosmarus ) of the Seal family, native of the Arctic Ocean. The male has long and powerful tusks descending from the upper jaw. It uses these in procuring food and in fighting. It is hunted for its oil, ivory, and skin. It feeds largely on mollusks. Called alsomorse .
from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.
- noun countable A large
Arctic marine mammal related toseals and having longtusks , tough, wrinkled skin, and fourflippers .
from WordNet 3.0 Copyright 2006 by Princeton University. All rights reserved.
- noun either of two large northern marine mammals having ivory tusks and tough hide over thick blubber
Etymologies
from The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 4th Edition
from Wiktionary, Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License
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Examples
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The great man of course frowned and pulled his "walrus" -- the kind that has hanging, hairy selvages on it, such as serve as warnings for "low bridge" on the railroads -- smote his desk firmly, and said it would never do!
A Fantasy of Mediterranean Travel S. G. Bayne
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They include some of the country's rarest and least protected species, like the American wolverine, whose ranks have dwindled to fewer than 500 in the lower 48 states, and the Pacific walrus, which is rapidly losing the sea ice it needs to survive.
Kieran Suckling: 'Extinction Rider' Would Unravel Years of Work Protecting Rare Species Kieran Suckling 2011
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A whale of a walrus is the new star attraction at Seaworld in San Diego.
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A very hungry bear will sometimes attack a walrus in the water, for the polar bear is a powerful swimmer; but in his peculiar element -- and he is never far from it -- the walrus is the best fighter, and his tough hide serves as an almost impenetrable armor.
Harper's Young People, January 20, 1880 An Illustrated Weekly Various
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The walrus, which is hunted by the Eskimo in kyak and from ice flow, is also sought after by the Hudson's Bay Company, and is hunted by the Company's employees in small vessels sailing out of Churchill.
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On the very day of sailing they caught their first glimpse of some large species of seal or walrus, which is thus described by the old narrator of the expedition: --
Tales of the Enchanted Islands of the Atlantic Thomas Wentworth Higginson 1867
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When seen close at hand the walrus is a very ugly monster.
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The jaw of the walrus is the least regular, and the incisors are generally wanting, especially in the full-grown animal; for it appears they lose them very young, as you lost your milk teeth, only, unluckily for the walrus, his never grow again.
The History of a Mouthful of Bread And its effect on the organization of men and animals Jean Mac�� 1854
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One of the chief characteristics of the walrus is the presence of two elongated tusks (the canine teeth) in the upper jaw.
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The young lady workin 'says that the walrus is the most socially inappropriate animal they have there.
Knowledge is Power 2009
oroboros commented on the word walrus
"The time has come," the Walrus said,
"To talk of many things:
Of shoes—and ships—and sealing-wax—
Of cabbages—and kings—
And why the sea is boiling hot—
And whether pigs have wings."
--Lewis Carroll
Click here for full poem.
February 22, 2007
Prolagus commented on the word walrus
Walrus life cycle, from Nataliedee.
October 14, 2008
reesetee commented on the word walrus
Haha!
October 14, 2008
trivet commented on the word walrus
I can't decide if I like the little vampire egg or the deranged beaver best. Thanks, Pro!
October 14, 2008
bilby commented on the word walrus
See also rosmarine.
June 22, 2022