whale en · NOUN · etymology 1
Pronunciation
- (US) audio
- /ˈʍeːl/ (Ireland) without the wine–whine merger
- /ˈwæɪl/ (Australia, New-Zealand)
- /ˈʍel/ (Scotland) without the wine–whine merger
- /ˈweːl/ (Wales) without the pane–pain merger
- /ˈweɪl/ (General-American, Received-Pronunciation)
- /ˈwɛj(ə)l/ (British, Southern, Standard)
Etymology
Etymology tree Proto-Indo-European *(s)kʷálos Proto-Germanic *hwalaz Proto-West Germanic *hwal Old English hwæl Middle English whal English whale From Middle English whal, whale, from Old English hwæl (“whale”), from Proto-West Germanic *hwal, from Proto-Germanic *hwalaz (“whale”) (compare German Wal, Swedish val, Danish and Norwegian Bokmål hval, Norwegian Nynorsk kval; compare also Dutch walvis, West Frisian walfisk, from Proto-Indo-European *(s)kʷálos (“sheatfish”) (compare German Wels, Latin squalus (“big sea fish”), Old Prussian kalis, Ancient Greek ἄσπαλος (áspalos), Avestan 𐬐𐬀𐬭𐬀 (kara, “kind of fish”)).
Meanings
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Any large cetacean, usually with the exclusion of dolphins and porpoises.
Near-synonym: baleen (obsolete sense)
And God created great whales, and euery liuing creature that moueth, which the waters brought forth aboundantly after their kinde, and euery winged foule after his kinde: and God saw that it was good.
1611, The Holy Bible, […] (King James Version), London: […] Robert Barker, […], →OCLC, Genesis 1:21:Whale oil was still moderately useful for several things, and whale lives were valueless. Dead whales were used to soften leather and lubricate machines and to somewhat mitigate the effects of trench foot in the first world war.
2025 September 11, Kate Marvel, “‘We’ve done it before’: how not to lose hope in the fight against ecological disaster”, in The Guardian:
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(broadly) Any species of Cetacea, including dolphins and porpoises.
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.
2013 August 3, “Yesterday’s fuel”, in The Economist, volume 408, number 8847, archived from the original on 26 Mar 2019:
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(figuratively) Something, or someone, that is very large.
It was a whale of a job. […] It took two months, and the fair blush of youth off my cheeks.
1920 September, “A Reformed Free Lance” (pseudonym), “Doctoring a Sick Encyclopedia”, in The Writer, Volume XXXII, Number 9, page 131But when it comes to his business life and business career, Will Clayton is not as other men; he is such a whale of a lot better that it suggests a qualitative as well as a quantitative difference.
1947 May 19, John Chamberlain, “Will Clayton and his Problem”, in Life, page 120:Passing the Congregation Shearith Israel on Central Park West (a white whale of a building with a triangular pediment supported by four count ’em four massive Corinthian columns), Professor Solanka scurrying through the downpour remembered the newly bat-mitzvahed thirteen-year-old girl he’d glimpsed through the side door, […]
2001, Salman Rushdie, Fury: A Novel, London: Jonathan Cape, →ISBN, page 5:
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(as "whale of a ___", figuratively) Something, or someone, that is excellent.
My own father only wrote one poem in his life as far as I know, but it was a whale of a lyric, the kind you would give your whole life to write, which he did, but that is another story.
2002, Kathleen Benson, Philip M. Kayal, Museum of the City of New York, A Community of Many Worlds: Arab Americans in New York City, Syracuse University Press →ISBN, page 54Busley Crowther in The New York Times called it “a whale of a comedy” even though he couldn't tell the four musicians apart except for Ringo (“the big-nosed one”).
2006, June Skinner Sawyers, Read the Beatles: Classic and New Writings on the Beatles, Their Legacy, and Why They Still Matter, Penguin, →ISBN:They were having a whale of a time when a very stern looking shop assistant came over to tell them off.
2013, Fred Holtby, Chris Lovie, ROWDY - THE STORY OF A POLICE DOG, Lulu.com, →ISBN, page 105:
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(figuratively) A gambler who routinely wagers large amounts of money.
The high roller who had the most ferocious reputation for trying to run the business of the casinos where he played, before he died on December 26, 2006, was Kerry Packer. In the casino world, Packer was the Prince of Whales.
2008, Deke Castleman, Whale Hunt in the Desert:A handful of the richest whales routinely play for $200,000 a hand. Australian media mogul Kerry Packer not only regularly bets that much, but has plunked down $200,000 bets for the dealer as a form of a tip.
2004, Norm Clarke, Vegas Confidential: Norm! Sin City's Ace Insider 1,000 Naked Truths, Hot Spots and Cool Stuff:These are often no-limit games as maximum bets cramp a whale’s style.
2003, Jeff Wuorio, How to Buy and Sell (Just About) Everything:
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(figuratively, informal) An investor who deals with very large amounts of money.
If the banks knew how big Archegos’s position was, they may have realized other banks were supplying it with the same leverage — and reconsidered the trade. But a set of worrisome regulatory loopholes kept them from detecting this lurking whale.
2021 May 18, Alexis Goldstein, “These Invisible Whales Could Sink the Economy”, in The New York Times, →ISSN:
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(figuratively) A person who spends large amounts of money on things that are marketed to them.
[…] gleaned from their activity: one group they dubbed “whales,” the highest-value customers, who bought shave cream and wipes as well as razors; […]
2020, Lawrence Ingrassia, Billion Dollar Brand Club: How Dollar Shave Club, Warby Parker, and Other Disruptors Are Remaking What We Buy, Henry Holt and Company, →ISBN:These different customer groups will be attracted to very different promotions. Your whales might enjoy receiving frequent emails from you and will purchase almost every time.
2015, Omer Artun, Dominique Levin, Predictive Marketing: Easy Ways Every Marketer Can Use Customer Analytics and Big Data, John Wiley & Sons, →ISBN, page 99:Whales are the big spenders who drop huge amounts of money into a game.
2015, Jamie Madigan, Getting Gamers: The Psychology of Video Games and Their Impact on the People who Play Them:
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(colloquial, derogatory, figuratively) An overweight person (usually a woman)
The whale is still snoring. He's a real beauty, the whale. Got this thick curly hair all over his chest and stomach and legs.
1983, Paul T. Rogers, Saul's Book:
Forms
| Spelling | Features | Labels | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| whales | Number=Plur | lexicographic |
Coordinates
porpoise · dolphin · porpoise · fish · dolphin
Deriveds
whale catfish (terms derived from whale (noun)) · whalemeat (terms derived from whale (noun)) · whale tail (terms derived from whale (noun)) · toothless whale (terms derived from whale (noun)) · whale oil (terms derived from whale (noun)) · caaing whale (terms derived from whale (noun)) · whale shot (terms derived from whale (noun)) · whaler (terms derived from whale (noun)) · whale shark (terms derived from whale (noun)) · Greenland whale (terms derived from whale (noun)) · whaleship (terms derived from whale (noun)) · Rice's whale (terms derived from whale (noun)) · beluga whale (terms derived from whale (noun)) · Bryde's whale (terms derived from whale (noun)) · baleen whale (terms derived from whale (noun)) · whale fall (terms derived from whale (noun)) · melon-headed whale (terms derived from whale (noun)) · flue whale (terms derived from whale (noun)) · whale watcher (terms derived from whale (noun)) · whalespeak (terms derived from whale (noun)) · thresher whale (terms derived from whale (noun)) · whale-backed (terms derived from whale (noun)) · sei whale (terms derived from whale (noun)) · narwhale (terms derived from whale (noun)) · whale catcher (terms derived from whale (noun)) · whale's way (terms derived from whale (noun)) · walking whale (terms derived from whale (noun)) · bottlenose whale (terms derived from whale (noun)) · sperm whale (terms derived from whale (noun)) · Belly of the Whale (terms derived from whale (noun)) · gray whale (terms derived from whale (noun)) · fin whale (terms derived from whale (noun)) · thrasher whale (terms derived from whale (noun)) · Eden's whale (terms derived from whale (noun)) · whale-road (terms derived from whale (noun)) · beaked whale (terms derived from whale (noun)) · Russian whale (terms derived from whale (noun)) · killer whale (terms derived from whale (noun)) · whaleman (terms derived from whale (noun)) · pothead whale (terms derived from whale (noun)) · whale line (terms derived from whale (noun)) · whaleling (terms derived from whale (noun)) · Omura's whale (terms derived from whale (noun)) · black whale (terms derived from whale (noun)) · finback whale (terms derived from whale (noun)) · desert whale (terms derived from whale (noun)) · blue whale (terms derived from whale (noun)) · right whale dolphin (terms derived from whale (noun)) · whale fisher (terms derived from whale (noun)) · whalelore (terms derived from whale (noun)) · false killer whale (terms derived from whale (noun)) · grey whale (terms derived from whale (noun)) · humpback whale (terms derived from whale (noun)) · whale barnacle (terms derived from whale (noun)) · thick as a whale omelette (terms derived from whale (noun)) · whalebone whale (terms derived from whale (noun)) · razorback whale (terms derived from whale (noun)) · great whale (terms derived from whale (noun)) · whalesucker (terms derived from whale (noun)) · sulfur-bottom whale (terms derived from whale (noun)) · piked whale (terms derived from whale (noun)) · pike whale (terms derived from whale (noun)) · Jupiter whale (terms derived from whale (noun)) · whalesong (terms derived from whale (noun)) · ca'ing whale (terms derived from whale (noun)) · white whale (terms derived from whale (noun)) · unicorn whale (terms derived from whale (noun)) · minke whale (terms derived from whale (noun)) · whalefish (terms derived from whale (noun)) · fail whale (terms derived from whale (noun)) · whale watch (terms derived from whale (noun)) · spade-toothed whale (terms derived from whale (noun)) · Whale Beach (terms derived from whale (noun)) · polar whale (terms derived from whale (noun)) · have a whale of a time (terms derived from whale (noun)) · whaling (terms derived from whale (noun)) · whale's road (terms derived from whale (noun)) · Arctic whale (terms derived from whale (noun)) · belly of the whale (terms derived from whale (noun)) · wholphin (terms derived from whale (noun)) · toothed whale (terms derived from whale (noun)) · pollack whale (terms derived from whale (noun)) · social whale (terms derived from whale (noun)) · whippo (terms derived from whale (noun)) · narwhal (terms derived from whale (noun)) · very like a whale (terms derived from whale (noun)) · land whale (terms derived from whale (noun)) · whale safari (terms derived from whale (noun)) · whalebone (terms derived from whale (noun)) · sulphur whale (terms derived from whale (noun)) · pilot whale (terms derived from whale (noun)) · spermaceti whale (terms derived from whale (noun)) · whaleboat (terms derived from whale (noun)) · whalery (terms derived from whale (noun)) · whale-path (terms derived from whale (noun)) · whalelike (terms derived from whale (noun)) · whale's guide (terms derived from whale (noun)) · beached whale (terms derived from whale (noun)) · right whale (terms derived from whale (noun)) · whale louse (terms derived from whale (noun)) · pygmy right whale (terms derived from whale (noun)) · whaleshit (terms derived from whale (noun)) · bowhead whale (terms derived from whale (noun)) · bone whale (terms derived from whale (noun)) · whale watching (terms derived from whale (noun)) · steeple-top whale (terms derived from whale (noun)) · ice whale (terms derived from whale (noun)) · scrag whale (terms derived from whale (noun)) · whale bacon (terms derived from whale (noun))
Descendants
Hypernyms
whale · mammal · marine mammal · mammal · organism · creature · animal · vertebrate · creature · mammal · organism · vertebrate · marine mammal · cetacean · animal · animal
Hyponyms
orca · sperm whale · gam · humpback whale · fin whale · pod · blue whale
Relateds
orca (other associated terms) · pod (other associated terms) · baleen (other associated terms) · walrus · rorqual · cete (other associated terms) · cachalot (other associated terms) · gam (other associated terms) · narwhal
Synonyms
cetacean · high roller · whale · baleen
Translations (262)
jv iwak gajah (large sea mammal) · ur وہیل (large sea mammal) · ug كىت (large sea mammal) · sl kit (large sea mammal) · sh ки̏т (large sea mammal) · haw koholā (large sea mammal) · kla ʔalhaq (large sea mammal) · nan-hbl 海翁 (large sea mammal) · fa-ira نَهَنْگ (large sea mammal) · syc ܩܐܛܐ (large sea mammal) · ms mina (large sea mammal) · ota آطه بالغی (large sea mammal) · ady джейхэр (large sea mammal) · myv кит (large sea mammal) · pl wieloryb (large sea mammal) · ta திமிங்கிலம் (large sea mammal) · mr देवमासा (large sea mammal) · lmo balèna (large sea mammal) · jv lodan (large sea mammal) · kn ತಿಮಿಂಗಿಲ (large sea mammal) · fi valas (large sea mammal) · gd muc-mhara (large sea mammal) · kk науан (large sea mammal) · tr balina (large sea mammal) · bdr paus (large sea mammal) · alr юӈый (large sea mammal) · fr baleine (large sea mammal) · pam dambuala (large sea mammal) · as তিমি (large sea mammal) · et vaal (large sea mammal) · mg trozona (large sea mammal) · eve калим (large sea mammal) · lo ບາແລນ (large sea mammal) · crh kit (large sea mammal) · sne kien paos (large sea mammal) · egl baläṅna (large sea mammal) · da hval (large sea mammal) · ckb نەھەنگ (large sea mammal) · it balena (large sea mammal) · to tofuāʻa (large sea mammal) · mxe tafurā (large sea mammal) · hai kung̱aawagan (large sea mammal) · mel pauih (large sea mammal) · nn kval (large sea mammal) · ast ballena (large sea mammal) · ps نهنګ (large sea mammal) · lt banginis (large sea mammal) · yi וואַלפֿיש (large sea mammal) · ca balena (large sea mammal) · rsk кит (large sea mammal) · hy կետ (large sea mammal) · nds Waal (large sea mammal) · ht balèn (large sea mammal) · svs ghuraghura (large sea mammal) · tt кит (large sea mammal) · mt baliena (large sea mammal) · ty tohorā (large sea mammal) · evn калим (large sea mammal) · lv valis (large sea mammal) · hi तिमि (large sea mammal) · pag lampasot (large sea mammal) · ln mondɛ́lɛ́ (large sea mammal) · ale alax̂ (large sea mammal) · nan-hbl 鯨魚 /鲸鱼 (large sea mammal) · kk нән (large sea mammal) · ota بالنه (large sea mammal) · ja 勇魚 (large sea mammal) · goh wal (large sea mammal) · scn balena (large sea mammal) · erg tovura (large sea mammal) · kyh ishkêet (large sea mammal) · co balena (large sea mammal) · ce докх (large sea mammal) · nb kval (large sea mammal) · rcf balèn (large sea mammal) · sq balenë (large sea mammal) · lo ປາວານ (large sea mammal) · sei aasj (large sea mammal) · cs velryba (large sea mammal) · be кіт (large sea mammal) · ang hwæl (large sea mammal) · tg наҳанг (large sea mammal) · de Wal (large sea mammal) · sh велриба (large sea mammal) · nay kondoli (large sea mammal) · nb hval (large sea mammal) · wuu 鯨魚 /鲸鱼 (large sea mammal) · mfe labalenn (large sea mammal) · unm mpiàxkw (large sea mammal) · grc φάλλαινα (large sea mammal) · gv meeyl mooar (large sea mammal) · xal тул заһсн (large sea mammal) · hur qwél:es (large sea mammal) · hu cet (large sea mammal) · kwk g̱wa̱'ya̱m (large sea mammal) · sco whaul (large sea mammal) · oc balena (large sea mammal) · hak 鯨魚 /鲸鱼 (large sea mammal) · orv китъ (large sea mammal) · br balum (large sea mammal) · bth paus (large sea mammal) · hi तिमिंगल (large sea mammal) · ckt ръэвыт (large sea mammal) · vi cá ông (large sea mammal) · ga míol mór (large sea mammal) · vo valüt (large sea mammal) · cu к҄итъ (large sea mammal) · es ballena (large sea mammal) · mn халим (large sea mammal) · eu balea (large sea mammal) · lo ວານ (large sea mammal) · vi cá ông voi (large sea mammal) · ckt ръэв (large sea mammal) · mnc ᠪᠣᠣ ᠨᡳᠮᠠᡥᠠ (large sea mammal) · bi welfis (large sea mammal) · mdf кит (large sea mammal) · kw morvil (large sea mammal) · fro baleine (large sea mammal) · id ikan paus (large sea mammal) · my ဝေလငါး (large sea mammal) · fa-ira وال (large sea mammal) · ml തിമിംഗലം (large sea mammal) · ur وھیل (large sea mammal) · dsb wjelryba (large sea mammal) · bal لیڈ (large sea mammal) · yue 鯨魚 /鲸鱼 (large sea mammal) · enm whal (large sea mammal) · av кит (large sea mammal) · ryu ぐじら (large sea mammal) · vec bałéna (large sea mammal) · ne तिमि (large sea mammal) · sa तिमि (large sea mammal) · rap taʻoraha (large sea mammal) · tl tandayag (large sea mammal) · wa ballaînn (large sea mammal) · ru кит (large sea mammal) · ain フンペ (large sea mammal) · as তিমি মাছ (large sea mammal) · az kit (large sea mammal) · hi व्हेल (large sea mammal) · niv кеӈ (large sea mammal) · is hvalur (large sea mammal) · yur hekwsa' (large sea mammal) · tn leruarua (large sea mammal) · th ปลาวาฬ (large sea mammal) · rgn baléna (large sea mammal) · fro balaine (large sea mammal) · chr ᏓᏆ (large sea mammal) · ms ikan paus (large sea mammal) · pon roahs (large sea mammal) · kyh ípar (large sea mammal) · tl balyena (large sea mammal) · ka ვეშაპი (large sea mammal) · bg кит (large sea mammal) · yag wápisa (large sea mammal) · kbd джей (large sea mammal) · pov baleia (large sea mammal) · az balina (large sea mammal) · jv timinggila (large sea mammal) · th วาฬ (large sea mammal) · mk кит (large sea mammal) · vi cá voi (large sea mammal) · cbk ballena (large sea mammal) · km ពិន្ទង (large sea mammal) · nuk ʔiiḥtuup (large sea mammal) · hai kun (large sea mammal) · my ငါးဝန် (large sea mammal) · tk kit (large sea mammal) · izh kiitta (large sea mammal) · lnj thok (large sea mammal) · fj tavuto (large sea mammal) · fur balene (large sea mammal) · lb Wal (large sea mammal) · el φάλαινα (large sea mammal) · kl arfeq (large sea mammal) · pdt Waulfesch (large sea mammal) · af walvis (large sea mammal) · st leruarua (large sea mammal) · hu bálna (large sea mammal) · pms balen-a (large sea mammal) · ko 고래 (large sea mammal) · za ginghyiz (large sea mammal) · ms lodan (large sea mammal) · kmv balén (large sea mammal) · mt balena (large sea mammal) · sne paos (large sea mammal) · cy morfilod (large sea mammal) · mn ᠬᠠᠯᠢᠮᠤ (large sea mammal) · cdo 鯨魚 /鲸鱼 (large sea mammal) · mi ika moana (large sea mammal) · cmn 鯨魚 /鲸鱼 (large sea mammal) · rm balena (large sea mammal) · fj tovuto (large sea mammal) · dng җинйү (large sea mammal) · nl walvis (large sea mammal) · sh kȉt (large sea mammal) · yrl pirawasú (large sea mammal) · kmr neheng (large sea mammal) · ta சிலக்குணம் (large sea mammal) · gu વ્હેલ માછલી (large sea mammal) · pt baleia (large sea mammal) · ilo balyena (large sea mammal) · hsb wjelryba (large sea mammal) · la balaena (large sea mammal) · wyi be-ti-el (large sea mammal) · nv łóóʼtsoh (large sea mammal) · ceb balyena (large sea mammal) · iu ᐊᕐᕕᒃ (large sea mammal) · sw nyangumi (large sea mammal) · or ତିମି (large sea mammal) · gld калима (large sea mammal) · bn তিমি (large sea mammal) · fy walfisk (large sea mammal) · sjd ва̄лесь (large sea mammal) · grc κῆτος (large sea mammal) · ky кит (large sea mammal) · fo hvalur (large sea mammal) · ms paus (large sea mammal) · lad balena (large sea mammal) · ar حُوت (large sea mammal) · alr юӈюӈ (large sea mammal) · te తిమింగలం (large sea mammal) · ban paus (large sea mammal) · ja クジラ (large sea mammal) · io baleno (large sea mammal) · uk кит (large sea mammal) · str ḰENES (large sea mammal) · kju pu·šu (large sea mammal) · he לווייתן \ לִוְיָתָן (large sea mammal) · tg кит (large sea mammal) · hi ह्वेल (large sea mammal) · se fális (large sea mammal) · ja 鯨 (large sea mammal) · ik agviq (large sea mammal) · tpw pirapu'ã (large sea mammal) · ta சிலத்திற்கடுகு (large sea mammal) · sh velriba (large sea mammal) · tet baleia (large sea mammal) · uz kit (large sea mammal) · sk veľryba (large sea mammal) · eo baleno (large sea mammal) · gl balea (large sea mammal) · ovd wal (large sea mammal) · sm tafolā (large sea mammal) · pal 𐭪𐭥𐭩 (large sea mammal) · an ballena (large sea mammal) · bo ཆུ་སྲིན (large sea mammal) · cy morfil (large sea mammal) · pl waleń (large sea mammal) · ti ዓሳ ነባሪ (large sea mammal) · gu તિમિ (large sea mammal) · ro balenă (large sea mammal) · sei ziix hapx coom (large sea mammal) · sv val (large sea mammal) · lij balénn-a (large sea mammal) · cho nʋni chito (large sea mammal) · acw حُوت (large sea mammal) · iba ikan bam (large sea mammal) · nah huēyimichin (large sea mammal) · gcr balenn (large sea mammal) · vi kình ngư (large sea mammal) · pau medob (large sea mammal)