whaled

Variant of whale

whale definition

whale (hwāl, wāl)

noun pl. whales or whale

  1. any member of either of two orders (Mysticeta and Odontoceta) of aquatic mammals that breathe air, bear live young, and have front limbs that have been modified into flippers, and a flat, horizontal tail
  2. any of the larger members of these two groups, excluding the porpoises and dolphins (except for the killer whale)

Etymology: ME whal < OE hwæl, akin to OHG hwal, ON hvalr, MDu wal < IE base *(s)kwalos, a large fish > L squalus, big sea fish

intransitive verb whaled, whaling whal′·ing

to engage in the work of hunting whales
whale Idioms

a whale of a

☆
Informal an exceptionally large, fine, etc. example of a (class of persons or things)

Webster's New World College Dictionary Copyright © 2009 by Wiley Publishing, Inc., Cleveland, Ohio.
Used by arrangement with John Wiley & Sons, Inc.

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