sperm whale

noun

1. a large, square-snouted whale, Physeter catodon, valued for its oil and spermaceti: now reduced in number and rare in some areas.

sperm whale

noun

1. a large toothed whale, Physeter catodon, having a square-shaped head and hunted for sperm oil, spermaceti, and ambergris: family Physeteridae Also calledcachalot

Word History and Origins

Origin of sperm whale¹

First recorded in 1825–35

Word History and Origins

Origin of sperm whale¹

C19: short for spermaceti whale

Example Sentences

Instead of the more commonly known melodies popularized by “Songs of the Humpback Whale,” sperm whales communicate with sequences of clicks called codas.

From Salon

Previous work on sperm whale communication has mostly used vocal repertoires to distinguish between individual whales, social units, or clans.

From Science Daily

They found Cuvier's beaked whales, bottlenose dolphins and sperm whales -- including a young adult male previously seen off southern France.

From Science Daily

The research is part of Project CETI, which has brought together marine biologists, computer scientists, and linguists to study whether artificial intelligence trained on the data could enable them to communicate with the sperm whales.

From Science Magazine

Like many whales and dolphins, sperm whales are highly social mammals and communicate by squeezing air through their respiratory systems to make strings of rapid clicks that can sound like an extremely loud zipper underwater.

From Seattle Times