rorqual

noun

ror·​qual ˈrȯr-kwəl 

-ˌkwȯl

: any of a family (Balaenopteridae) of large baleen whales that have relatively small heads, short, broad plates of baleen, and the skin of the throat marked with deep longitudinal furrows and that include the blue whale, humpback whale, minke whale, fin whale, and sei whale

Examples of rorqual in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Instead, the species, all part of a group called rorquals, have evolved more into a network, sharing large segments of DNA with even distant cousins. —Author: Karen Weintraub, Anchorage Daily News, 7 Apr. 2018

Others called rorquals, such as humpbacks and blue whales, use gulp-feeding, taking in vast mouthfuls of water and krill and then squeezing the water out. —National Geographic, 19 Apr. 2018

Word History

Etymology

French, from Norwegian rørhval, from Old Norse reytharhvalr, from reythr rorqual + hvalr whale

First Known Use

1824, in the meaning defined above