baleen

[ buh-leen ]

noun

1. an elastic, horny substance growing in place of teeth in the upper jaw of certain whales, and forming a series of thin, parallel plates on each side of the palate; whalebone.

baleen

/ bəˈliːn /

noun

1. whalebone

baleen

/ bə-lēn′ /

1. A flexible horny substance hanging in fringed plates from the upper jaw of baleen whales. It is used to strain plankton from seawater when feeding.
2. Also called whalebone

Word History and Origins

Origin of baleen¹

First recorded in 1275–1325; Middle English balene (from Anglo-French baleine, beleine, ) from Latin bal(l)ēna, variant of bal(l)aena “whale,” from an unidentified language, also the source of Greek phál(l)aina “whale”; replacing Middle English balayn, Middle French balaine “whale(bone),” from Latin, as above

Word History and Origins

Origin of baleen¹

C14: from Latin bālaena whale; related to Greek phalaina whale

Example Sentences

By way of comparison, previous estimates had found that all baleen whales off the Pacific coast of North America ate 2 million metric tons of seafood every year.

From Popular-Science

Savoca and his colleagues “measured all the things you need to measure to get an accurate estimate of consumption,” for baleen whales, she says.

From Science News

Songs resonated with people as something that individuals did, and was not just some feature of a species like their baleen or the shape of their flippers.

From Nautilus

That baleen is made of keratin — the same stuff as hair — and lets the whale filter krill and other small invertebrates from the water to eat.

From Science News For Students

Earlier sea ice melting and warmer surface water means more krill and other food for these baleen feeders.

From Science News

The ulna and radius in the rorquals are also comparatively longer than in the baleen whales.

From Project Gutenberg

In this respect it differs much from the baleen whales, which have a narrow gullet.

From Project Gutenberg

The baleen is then cut out, and the carcase abandoned to the sharks, killer whales, and sea birds.

From Project Gutenberg

Many of them grow to enormous size, far exceeding any of the baleen whales.

From Project Gutenberg

So, also, the baleen of the whale and the teeth of the land mammalia are different organs.

From Project Gutenberg

Related Words

• mammal
• porpoise