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

According to the fossil record, cetaceans -- whales, dolphins and their relatives -- evolved from four-legged land mammals that returned to the oceans beginning some 50 million years ago.

From Science Daily

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

From Salon

The waters east of the Golden Gate Bridge were chock- full of life — sea lions and harbor seals galore — but not a cetacean to be seen.

From Los Angeles Times

Two people riding a 49-foot vessel known as Alboran Cognac were attacked by an unknown number of the cetaceans around 9 AM local time on Sunday.

From Salon

Virtually nothing was known about marine mammals of the West Coast of North America in the mid-1800s, when Charles Melville Scammon, the whaler, began meticulously documenting and measuring cetaceans, Jefferson said.

From Los Angeles Times