rorqual

[ rawr-kwuhl ]

noun

1. any of several whales of the genus Balaenoptera; finback.

rorqual

/ ˈrɔːkwəl /

noun

1. any of several whalebone whales of the genus Balaenoptera , esp B. physalus : family Balaenopteridae . They have a dorsal fin and a series of grooves along the throat and chest Also calledfinback

Word History and Origins

Origin of rorqual¹

1820–30; < French < Norwegian rørkval, Old Norse reytharhvalr, equivalent to reyth ( a ) r rorqual (akin to rauthr red ¹ ) + hvalr whale ¹

Word History and Origins

Origin of rorqual¹

C19: from French, from Norwegian rörhval , from Old Norse reytharhvalr , from reythr (from rauthr red) + hvalr whale

Example Sentences

Based on what she has observed in dissections of rorquals, Reidenberg says, the rigid and floppy cartilage flaps at the top of the larynx wouldn’t fit together to make a particularly good seal in whales.

From Popular-Science

Rorquals use a highly unusual strategy known as lunge feeding to capture krill, fish, and squid.

From Popular-Science

The only other rorqual to do so—the blue whale—raises the flukes slightly or not at all.

From Project Gutenberg

He came out to meet me upon the back of a mighty 'rorqual,' and a body-guard of four hundred picked narwhals swam before him.

From Project Gutenberg

There is another kind of whale, called the lesser rorqual, which only grows to the length of about twenty-five or thirty feet.

From Project Gutenberg

The rorqual feeds partly upon the small creatures which it captures by means of its whalebone strainer, and partly upon fishes.

From Project Gutenberg

That of the extinct Halitherium recalls the pelvis of the Rorqual.

From Project Gutenberg

Related Words

• mammal
• porpoise