orca

noun

or·​ca ˈȯr-kə 

plural orcas or orca

: a relatively small toothed whale (Orcinus orca of the family Delphinidae) that is black above with white underparts and white oval-shaped patches behind the eyes : killer whale

Orcas are … the most agile and streamlined of the cetaceans. Found throughout the world, they are intelligent, social, and matriarchal.

—Marguerite Holloway

At the end of the food chain sustained by the krill is the orca … a spectacular animal patterned in black and white, that hunts in groups of up to thirty or forty, feeding on penguins, porpoises and seals.

—John Vandenbeld

There they were, wild orcas. Adrenaline rushed through my body, but I clung to the dock. I knew nothing of these waters or this northern wilderness.

—Alexandra Morton

… nowhere in the world are orca easier to see than on Puget Sound, where new whale-watching cruises bring you close to one of the few resident populations.

—Sunset

Examples of orca in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

In the ocean food chain, large sharks generally only have to worry about keeping orcas at bay — but a new study suggests the apex predators may have to watch out for their own. —Mary Cunningham, CBS News, 3 Sep. 2024

Numerous orca populations composed of several ecotypes exist worldwide, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. —Brendan Rascius, Miami Herald, 28 May 2024

Go whale watching Set out in search of the orca, humpback and minke whales that swim through the Pacific off the Vancouver Island coast. —Carolyn Heller, Forbes, 3 Oct. 2024

The clip includes tense footage of orca whales hunting seals, soaring schools of fish, a close-up of a colorful mantis shrimp, and much more. —Kelli Bender, Peoplemag, 24 Sep. 2024

Word History

Etymology

borrowed from New Latin, a genus name, earlier a specific epithet (Delphinus orca, Linnaeus), going back to Latin, "a marine mammal, probably Risso's dolphin," borrowed (perhaps via Etruscan) from Greek oryg-, óryx "kind of marine mammal" — more at oryx

Note: The Roman grammarian Sextus Pompeius Festus assumed that the form of the Latin word reflected a different word orca, "kind of narrow-necked earthenware vessel," from the animal's supposed resemblance to the vase.

First Known Use

1726, in the meaning defined above