minke whale

noun

min·​ke whale ˈmiŋ-kə- 

variants or less commonly minke

: a small gray to black baleen whale (genus Balaenoptera) with a whitish underside and a relatively narrow, pointed snout:

a

: one (B. acutorostrata) chiefly of the northern hemisphere

called also common minke whale, northern minke whale

b

: one (B. bonaerensis) of the southern hemisphere that was formerly classified in the same species as the northern form

called also Antarctic minke, southern minke whale

see rorqual

Illustration of minke whale

Examples of minke whale in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

In a normal year, Girardeau would be pointing out dolphins, along with fin and minke whales, to tourists in search of sea life. —Andrew J. Campa, Los Angeles Times, 9 Dec. 2024

The country has annual quotas for the fin whales and minke whales fishermen are allowed to hunt in its waters. —Sylvia Hui, San Diego Union-Tribune, 11 June 2024

A couple of minke whales had breached in front of us as our small group departed from Ungava Polar Eco Tours’s camp on a boat excursion, but now silence and stillness had fallen. —Condé Nast Traveler, 22 Oct. 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

Word History

Etymology

partial translation of Norwegian minkehval, from minke- (perhaps from Meincke, a crewman of Svend Foyn †1894 Norwegian whaler) + hval whale

First Known Use

1939, in the meaning defined above