cetaceanadj.n.
/sɪˈteɪʃ(ɪ)ən/ Zoology.
A. adj.
Of or pertaining to the Cetacea.
ΘΚΠ
the world > animals > mammals > order Cetacea (whales) > [adjective]
cetaceous1646
cetacean1850
1850 J. D. Dana U.S. Exploring Exped.: Geol. App. i. 722 Fragments of other cetacean bones.
1863 D. Wilson Prehistoric Ann. Scotl. (ed. 2) I. i. ii. 49 The cetacean remains lay fully twenty feet above the highest tide-level.
B. n.
An animal belonging to the Cetacea (to which word this supplies a singular).
ΘΚΠ
the world > animals > mammals > order Cetacea (whales) > [noun] > member of
whalec893
cetec1220
blubber-fish1756
sea-pig1826
cetacean1835
1835–6 Todd's Cycl. Anat. & Physiol. I. 562/2 The horizontal position of the tail-fin at once distinguishes the cetacean from the fish.
This entry has not yet been fully updated (first published 1889; most recently modified version published online June 2022).
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adj.n.1835