baleens
|ba-leen|
/bəˈliːn/
(baleen)
whale filtering plates
Etymology
'baleen' originates from Old French, specifically the word 'baleine', where it meant 'whale'.
'baleen' changed from Old French 'baleine' (itself from Latin 'balaena' and Greek 'phálaina') and eventually became the modern English word 'baleen' through Middle English usage.
Initially it referred to 'whale' (the animal) or to things relating to whales; over time the meaning narrowed to the keratinous plates in the mouths of certain whales and to the material made from those plates.
Meanings by Part of Speech
Noun 1
one of the horny, comb-like plates in the mouths of baleen (filter-feeding) whales, used to strain small organisms such as krill and plankton from seawater.
The whale's baleens trapped tiny krill as it skimmed the ocean surface.
Synonyms
Last updated: 2026/01/05 05:24