Spermaceti

3 definitions found

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

  Spermaceti \Sper`ma*ce"ti\, n. [L. sperma sperm + cetus,gen.
     ceti, any large sea animal, a whale, Gr. ???. See {Sperm},
     {Cetaceous}.]
     A white waxy substance obtained from cavities in the head of
     the sperm whale, and used making candles, oilments,
     cosmetics, etc. It consists essentially of ethereal salts of


     palmitic acid with ethal and other hydrocarbon bases. The
     substance of spermaceti after the removal of certain
     impurities is sometimes called cetin.
     [1913 Webster]
  
     {Spermaceti whale} (Zool.), the sperm whale.
        [1913 Webster]

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

  cachalot \cach"a*lot\, n. [F. cachalot.] (Zool.)
     The sperm whale ({Physeter macrocephalus}). It has in the top
     of its head a large cavity, containing an oily fluid, which,
     after death, concretes into a whitish crystalline substance
     called {spermaceti}. See {Sperm whale}.
     [1913 Webster]

From WordNet (r) 2.0 [wn]:

  spermaceti
       n : a white waxy substance from oil of the sperm whale