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baleen

   Also found in: Medical, Encyclopedia, Wikipedia, Hutchinson 0.06 sec.
ba·leen  (b-ln)
n.
See whalebone.
[Middle English balene, from Old French baleine, from Latin balaena, whale, from Greek phalaina; see bhel-2 in Indo-European roots.]
baleen
Noun
whalebone [Latin balaena whale]
baleen  (b-ln)
A flexible horny substance hanging in fringed plates from the upper jaw of baleen whales. It is used to strain plankton from seawater when feeding. Also called whalebone.
ThesaurusLegend:  Synonyms Related Words Antonyms
Noun1.baleenbaleen - a horny material from the upper jaws of certain whales; used as the ribs of fans or as stays in corsets
whalebone
horn - the material (mostly keratin) that covers the horns of ungulates and forms hooves and claws and nails


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From having the baleen in his mouth, the Fin-Back is sometimes included with the right whale, among a theoretic species denominated Whalebone whales, that is, whales with baleen.
Moby Dick I-LXVII by Melville, Herman View in context
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