Lexic.us

Definition of Narwhal

1. Noun. Small Arctic whale the male having a long spiral ivory tusk.

Definition of Narwhal

1. n. 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.

Definition of Narwhal

1. Noun. An Arctic cetacean, about 20 feet (6 meters) long; the male has a single twisted pointed canine tooth or tusk projecting forward like a horn. ¹

¹ Source: wiktionary.com

Definition of Narwhal

1. an arctic aquatic mammal [n -S]

Medical Definition of Narwhal

1. 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. Origin: Sw. Or Dan. Narvhal; akin to Icel. Nahvalr, and E. Whale. The first syllable is perh. From Icel. Nar corpse, dead body, in allusion to the whitish colour its skin. See Whale Alternative forms: narwhale. Source: Websters Dictionary (01 Mar 1998)

Lexicographical Neighbors of Narwhal

Literary usage of Narwhal

Below you will find example usage of this term as found in modern and/or classical literature:

1. Journal of Anatomy and Physiology by Anatomical Society of Great Britain and Ireland (1890)
"THE STOMACH OF THE narwhal ... we described somewhat minutely the histological structure of the stomach of the narwhal (Monodon monoceros). ..."

2. Arctic Experiences: Containing Capt. George E. Tyson's Wonderful Drift on by Euphemia Vale Blake (1874)
"The young of the narwhal has a bluish-gray tinge. The narwhal usually go in schools of ten or twelve, sometimes more; they are migratory, and when they come ..."

3. Good Words by Norman Macleod (1887)
"The average length of the narwhal is thirteen or fourteen feet, ... XXVIII—42 Much of it is necessarily imbedded in the skull while the narwhal is living. ..."

4. Arctic Explorations in Search of Sir John Franklin by Elisha Kent Kane (1885)
""While we were engaged getting our narwhal on board, the wind hauled round to the south-west, and the ice began to travel back rapidly to the north. ..."

5. The North Pole: Its Discovery in 1909 Under the Auspices of the Peary Arctic by Robert Edwin Peary (1910)
"In the Whale Sound region we sometimes obtained narwhal and deer, but there was no narwhal hunting to speak of on the upward journey this last time. ..."

6. The American Cyclopaedia: A Popular Dictionary of General Knowledge by Charles Anderson Dana (1875)
"narwhal, a cetacean mammal, of the genus monodon (Linn. ... narwhal. species (M. monoceros, Linn.) the body may attain a length of 15 or 16 ft., ..."

7. The Microscopy of Technical Products by Thomas Franz Hanausek (1907)
"narwhal IVORY. The teeth of this animal are straight, 2-3 m. long, twisted spirally to the right, provided with numerous cracks and clefts, and covered with ..."

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