Narwhal

2 definitions found

From The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48 [gcide]:

  Narwhal \Nar"whal\ (n[aum]r"hw[.a]l), n. [Sw. or Dan. narvhal;
     akin to Icel. n[=a]hvalr, and E. whale. the first syllable is
     perh. from Icel. n[=a]r corpse, dead body, in allusion to the
     whitish color its skin. See {Whale}.] [Written also
     {narwhale} and {narwal}.] (Zool.)
     An arctic cetacean ({Monodon monocerous}), about twenty feet


     long. The male usually has one long, twisted, pointed canine
     tooth, or tusk, projecting forward from the upper jaw like a
     horn, whence it is called also {sea unicorn}, {unicorn fish},
     and {unicorn whale}. Sometimes two horns are developed, side
     by side.
     [1913 Webster]

From WordNet (r) 2.0 [wn]:

  narwhal
       n : small arctic whale the male having a long spiral ivory tusk
           [syn: {narwal}, {narwhale}, {Monodon monoceros}]