WHALE
What does "WHALE" mean?
A very large marine mammal of the order Cetacea that breathes air and bears live young.
Meanings
- A large, air-breathing marine mammal of the cetacean order. A blue whale surfaced beside the boat and exhaled a tower of spray.
- An impressively large or excellent example of something (in 'a whale of a'). We had a whale of a time at the festival. informal
- A person who gambles or spends enormous sums (in casinos or games). The casino comped the suite to keep the whale at the tables. informal
- To beat or thrash soundly. They whaled on the door until it gave way. informal
Did you know?
- The blue whale is the largest animal that has ever lived - bigger than any dinosaur - stretching about 30 metres and weighing up to 150 tonnes.
- A blue whale's heart weighs roughly 180 kilograms, and its slow beat can be detected from miles away through the water.
"Call me Ishmael."— Herman Melville
Word origin
From Old English 'hwæl', of Germanic origin, related to Old Norse 'hvalr'; the same root may connect to a wider Indo-European word for large fish.
Remember it
WHALE = W-H-A-L-E; it has a 'WH' spout and an 'E' at the end like the tail flicking up.
A little poem
A hill learns to swim,
breathes a white pillar of breath,
then folds back to deep.
haiku
Wordplay
- What do you call a whale that can't keep a secret? A blubber-mouth.
What it teaches
The largest heart in the ocean still has to surface to breathe; nothing is too great to need air.
Quick facts
What does WHALE mean?
A very large marine mammal of the order Cetacea that breathes air and bears live young.
Is WHALE a valid word?
Yes — WHALE is one of the answer words in Wordul, the daily word game.
How many letters is WHALE?
WHALE has 5 letters and 1 syllable.
Where does WHALE come from?
From Old English 'hwæl', of Germanic origin, related to Old Norse 'hvalr'; the same root may connect to a wider Indo-European word for large fish.
What can WHALE teach us?
The largest heart in the ocean still has to surface to breathe; nothing is too great to need air.
How players do
Be the first to solve it.