cetacean

[ si-tey-shuhn ]

adjective

1. belonging to the Cetacea, an order of aquatic, chiefly marine mammals, including the whales and dolphins.

noun

1. a cetacean mammal.

cetacean

/ sɪˈteɪʃən /

adjective

1. of, relating to, or belonging to the Cetacea, an order of aquatic placental mammals having no hind limbs and a blowhole for breathing: includes toothed whales (dolphins, porpoises, etc) and whalebone whales (rorquals, right whales, etc)

noun

1. a whale

cetacean

/ sĭ-tā′shən /

1. Any of various, often very large aquatic mammals of the order Cetacea, having a hairless body that resembles that of a fish. Cetaceans have an elongated skull, a flat, horizontal tail, forelimbs modified into broad flippers, and no hind limbs. They breathe through blowholes located usually at the top of the skull. Whales, dolphins, and porpoises are cetaceans.
2. See more at baleen whale

Other Words From

• ce·taceous adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of cetacean¹

1830–40; < New Latin Cetace ( a ) name of the order ( cet-, -acea ) + -an

Word History and Origins

Origin of cetacean¹

C19: from New Latin Cētācea, ultimately from Latin cētus whale, from Greek kētos

Example Sentences

Now organizations like the Cetacean Translation Initiative, better known as Project CETI, are working to crack the whale code.

From Salon

AI-generated codas might only confuse whales, and could potentially spread false information between cetacean species.

From Salon

Cetacean species like whales and dolphins have been described musically throughout history.

From Salon

Whale populations have dramatically rebounded since the 1986 global moratorium on whaling, despite the many hazards that remain for cetacean species.

From Salon

Cetacean experts - whose specialty is aquatic mammals - have been examining tissue samples in a bid to establish the cause of the stranding.

From BBC