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whale meaning

EN[weɪl] [-eɪl]
US
WWhale
  • Whale (origin Old English hwæl from Proto-Germanic *hwalaz) is the common name for various marine mammals of the order Cetacea.
  • Whales range in size from the blue whale, the largest animal known to have ever existed, at 30 m (98 ft) and 180 tonnes (180 long tons; 200 short tons), to pygmy species such as the pygmy sperm whale at 3.5 m (11 ft).
  • Human hunting of whales from the seventeenth century until 1986 radically reduced the populations of some whale species.
  • Whales play a role in creation myths, for example among the Inuit, and they are revered by coastal people in countries such as Ghana and Vietnam.
whale
whale

    Definition of whale in English Dictionary

  • NounPLwhales
    1. Any of several species of large sea mammals of the order Cetacea.
      1. The dawn of the oil age was fairly recent. Although the stuff was used to waterproof boats in the Middle East 6,000 years ago, extracting it in earnest began only in 1859 after an oil strike in Pennsylvania. [ …] It was used to make kerosene, the main fuel for artificial lighting after overfishing led to a shortage of whale blubber.
    2. (figuratively) Something, or someone, that is very large.
      1. (gambling) (In a casino) a person who routinely bets at the maximum limit allowable.
      2. VerbSGwhalesPRwhalingPT, PPwhaled
        1. (intransitive) To hunt for whales.
          1. (transitive) To flog, to beat.
          2. More Examples
            1. Used in the Middle of Sentence
              • The same secludedness and isolation to which the schoolmaster whale betakes himself in his advancing years, is true of all aged Sperm Whales.
              • hunting that whale takes most of his free time ‎; his collection takes a lot of space ‎
              • We had a whale of a time at the party Saturday night.
            2. Used in the Ending of Sentence
              • The same secludedness and isolation to which the schoolmaster whale betakes himself in his advancing years, is true of all aged Sperm Whales.
          • Part-of-Speech Hierarchy
            1. Nouns
              • Countable nouns
              • Verbs
                • Intransitive verbs
                  • Transitive verbs
                Related Links:
                1. en whales
                2. en whaler
                3. en whaled
                4. en whalers
                5. en whaleman
                Source: Wiktionary

                Meaning of whale for the defined word.

                Grammatically, this word "whale" is a noun, more specifically, a countable noun. It's also a verb, more specifically, an intransitive verb and a transitive verb.
                Difficultness: Level 3
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                Easy     ➨     Difficult
                Definiteness: Level 9
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                Definite    ➨     Versatile