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narwhal

   Also found in: Medical, Encyclopedia, Wikipedia, Hutchinson 0.02 sec.
nar·whal also nar·wal  (närwl) or nar·whale (-hwl, -wl)
n.
An Arctic whale (Monodon monoceros) that has a spotted pelt and is characterized in the male by a long spirally twisted ivory tusk projecting from the left side of its head.

[Norwegian or Danish narhval, from Old Norse nhvalr : nr, corpse (from its whitish color) + hvalr, whale.]
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narwhal
male narwhal
Monodon monoceros

narwhal, narwal [ˈnɑːwəl], narwhale [ˈnɑːˌweɪl]
n
(Life Sciences & Allied Applications / Animals) an arctic toothed whale, Monodon monoceros, having a black-spotted whitish skin and, in the male, a long spiral tusk: family Monodontidae
[of Scandinavian origin; compare Danish, Norwegian narhval, from Old Norse nāhvalr, from nār corpse + hvalr whale, from its white colour, supposed to resemble a human corpse]
ThesaurusLegend:  Synonyms Related Words Antonyms
Noun1.narwhalnarwhal - small Arctic whale the male having a long spiral ivory tusk
whale - any of the larger cetacean mammals having a streamlined body and breathing through a blowhole on the head
genus Monodon, Monodon - type genus of the Monodontidae
Translations
narwhal [ˈnɑːwəl] Nnarval m
narwhal
nNarwal m
narwhal [ˈnɑːwl] nnarvalo
narwhal [ˈnɑːwl] nnarvalo


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? Mentioned in ? References in classic literature
 
Indeed, the narwhal is armed with a sort of ivory sword, a halberd, according to the expression of certain naturalists.
"Dave" he was called, and he ate and slept, or yawned between times, and took interest in nothing, not even when the Narwhal crossed Queen Charlotte Sound and rolled and pitched and bucked like a thing possessed.
Kadlu traded the rich, creamy, twisted narwhal horn and musk-ox teeth (these are just as valuable as pearls) to the Southern Inuit, and they, in turn, traded with the whalers and the missionary-posts of Exeter and Cumberland Sounds; and so the chain went on, till a kettle picked up by a ship's cook in the Bhendy Bazaar might end its days over a blubber-lamp somewhere on the cool side of the Arctic Circle.
 
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