Dictionary

orca en · NOUN

Pronunciation

• (Canada) audio
• /ˈoɹkə/ (General-American)
• /ˈɔːkə/ (Received-Pronunciation)

Etymology

Learned borrowing from Latin orca (“tun, cask; whale”), see there for more. Although the origin is obscure, the sometimes-cited association with orcus (“underworld”) is folk-etymology. Doublet of orc.

Meanings

1. A sea mammal (Orcinus orca) related to dolphins and porpoises, commonly called the killer whale.
   • In the summer, when the weather is calm and beautiful, large flocks of orcæ can be seen approaching the shallow places near the shore, or between the numerous islands of the White Sea. Several fishermen associate for hunting orcæ, each one furnishing a boat, and a large seine made of cords of the thickness of a finger, the meshes being 10½ inches square. 1876, Alexander Schultz, “Account of the Fisheries and Seal-Hunting in the White Sea, the Arctic Ocean, and the Caspian Sea”, in United States Commission of Fish and Fisheries. Part III. Report of the Commissioner for 1873-4 and 1874-5., Washington, D.C.: Government Printing Office, page 55:

Forms

Deriveds

Southern resident orca · orcalike

Relateds

orc · ork

Synonyms

killer whale · orc · grampus · blackfish · killer

Translations (83)

cmn 逆戟鯨 /逆戟鲸 (''Orcinus orca'') · it orca (''Orcinus orca'') · nn spekkhoggar (''Orcinus orca'') · ru кит-уби́йца (''Orcinus orca'') · cmn 殺人鯨 /杀人鲸 (''Orcinus orca'') · hu gyilkos bálna (''Orcinus orca'') · id seguni (''Orcinus orca'') · gl alcandorca (''Orcinus orca'') · mi kākahi (''Orcinus orca'') · pl orka (''Orcinus orca'') · pt orca (''Orcinus orca'') · sv späckhuggare (''Orcinus orca'') · ja 鯱 (''Orcinus orca'') · mr हिंसक देवमासा (''Orcinus orca'') · cmn 虎鯨 /虎鲸 (''Orcinus orca'') · is háhyrningur (''Orcinus orca'') · es orco (''Orcinus orca'') · tr katil balina (''Orcinus orca'') · af orka (''Orcinus orca'') · ru коса́тка (''Orcinus orca'') · mr ऑर्का (''Orcinus orca'') · no spekkhogger (''Orcinus orca'') · be каса́тка (''Orcinus orca'') · th วาฬเพชฌฆาต (''Orcinus orca'') · es urca (''Orcinus orca'') · mi maki (''Orcinus orca'') · de Mörderwal (''Orcinus orca'') · gd cana (''Orcinus orca'') · hu kardszárnyú delfin (''Orcinus orca'') · yag shamanaj (''Orcinus orca'') · ast esperlón (''Orcinus orca'') · iu ᐋᕐᓗᒃ (''Orcinus orca'') · ast orca (''Orcinus orca'') · fo steyrhvalur (''Orcinus orca'') · de Killerwal (''Orcinus orca'') · vi cá hổ kình (''Orcinus orca'') · nl orka (''Orcinus orca'') · pl miecznik (''Orcinus orca'') · de Schwertwal (''Orcinus orca'') · fo bóghvítuhvalur (''Orcinus orca'') · io orko (''Orcinus orca'') · fo rovhvalur (''Orcinus orca'') · mk косатка (''Orcinus orca'') · fo mastrarfiskur (''Orcinus orca'') · non vagna (''Orcinus orca'') · cs kosatka (''Orcinus orca'') · fo mastrarhvalur (''Orcinus orca'') · nah hueyimichtecuani (''Orcinus orca'') · es orca (''Orcinus orca'') · ja さかまた (''Orcinus orca'') · vi cá kình (''Orcinus orca'') · tli kéet (''Orcinus orca'') · eo orko (''Orcinus orca'') · hu orka (''Orcinus orca'') · af moordvis (''Orcinus orca'') · gl candorca (''Orcinus orca'') · hai sg̱aana (''Orcinus orca'') · fr épaulard (''Orcinus orca'') · da spækhugger (''Orcinus orca'') · uk коса́тка (''Orcinus orca'') · gd mada-chuain (''Orcinus orca'') · nap ncroja (''Orcinus orca'') · ko 범고래 (''Orcinus orca'') · vi cá voi sát thủ (''Orcinus orca'') · ca orca (''Orcinus orca'') · lv zobenvalis (''Orcinus orca'') · fi miekkavalas (''Orcinus orca'') · as অৰকা (''Orcinus orca'') · ain カムイフㇺベ (''Orcinus orca'') · fo æðuhvalur (''Orcinus orca'') · sjd воа̄кань (''Orcinus orca'') · bg коса́тка (''Orcinus orca'') · ain レプンカムイ (''Orcinus orca'') · eo granda orcino (''Orcinus orca'') · ro orca (''Orcinus orca'') · fa ارکا (''Orcinus orca'') · fr orque (''Orcinus orca'') · ar حُوت قَاتِل (''Orcinus orca'') · ru каса́тка (''Orcinus orca'') · ryu 鯱 (''Orcinus orca'') · nl zwaardwalvis (''Orcinus orca'') · lut qal'qaləχʷič (''Orcinus orca'') · sk kosatka (''Orcinus orca'')