whalebone whales

См. также в других словарях:

• The Mysticete or whalebone whales having no true teeth after birth but with a series of plates of whalebone see Baleen hanging down from the upper jaw on each side thus making a strainer through which they receive the small animals upon which they feed — Cetacea Ce*ta ce*a, n. pl. [NL., from L. cetus whale, Gr. ?.] (Zo[ o]l.) An order of marine mammals, including the whales. Like ordinary mammals they breathe by means of lungs, and bring forth living young which they suckle for some time. The… …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

• whalebone — whale•bone [[t]ˈ(h)weɪlˌboʊn, ˈweɪl [/t]] n. 1) mam Also called baleen an elastic, horny substance hanging in fringed platelike sheets from the upper jaws of whalebone whales and serving to strain plankton. 2) clo something made of this substance …   From formal English to slang

• whalebone — ► NOUN 1) an elastic horny substance which grows in a series of thin parallel plates in the upper jaw of some whales and is used by them to strain plankton from the seawater. 2) strips of this substance, formerly used as stays in corsets and… …   English terms dictionary

• whales bone — see whalebone …   Useful english dictionary

• whalebone — /hwayl bohn , wayl /, n. 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; baleen. 2. a thin strip of this substance, for… …   Universalium

• whalebone — n. an elastic horny substance growing in thin parallel plates in the upper jaw of some whales, used as stiffening etc. Phrases and idioms: whalebone whale a baleen whale …   Useful english dictionary

• whalebone — noun The horny material from the fringed plates of the upper jaw of baleen whales that are used to filter plankton; once used as stays in corsets Syn: baleen …   Wiktionary

• whalebone — whale|bone [ˈweılbəun US boun] n [U] a hard substance taken from the upper jaw of whales, used in the past for making women s clothes stiff …   Dictionary of contemporary English

• whalebone — whale|bone [ weıl,boun, hweıl,boun ] noun uncount a hard substance from whales that was used in the past to make women s clothing stiff …   Usage of the words and phrases in modern English

• whalebone — n. horny and elastic material taken from the upper jaw of some whales (formerly used in making the ribs of corsets) …   English contemporary dictionary

• whalebone — noun an elastic horny substance which grows in a series of thin parallel plates in the upper jaw of some whales and is used by them to strain plankton from the seawater; baleen. ↘strips of this substance, formerly used as stays in corsets and… …   English new terms dictionary