Mysticeti

plural noun

Mys·​ti·​ce·​ti

ˌmistəˈsēˌtī

: a suborder of Cetacea consisting of the whalebone whales compare odontoceti

mysticetous

¦⸗⸗¦sētəs

adjective

Word History

Etymology

New Latin, plural of mysticetus Greenland whale, from Greek mystikētos, a whale (dubious reading in some early editions of Aristotle where some recent editions read ho mys to ketos and interpret as "the 'mouse'—that is, the whale so called")

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