Home › Words › C › cetaceancetacean/sɪˈteɪʃən/cetacean means pertaining to the zoologic infraorder Cetacea, or associated with species falling under that taxonomic hierarchy.cetacean is pronounced /sɪˈteɪʃən/.EtymologyFrom translingual Cetacea, from Latin cētus (“whale”), + -an.adjPertaining to the zoologic infraorder Cetacea, or associated with species falling under that taxonomic hierarchy.e.g.“The poached blubber was definitely cetacean in origin, but the particular species could not be identified.”Resembling or relating to large aquatic mammals.e.g.“The obese woman, ungainly on land, moved with a kind of cetacean grace in the water.”nounA marine mammal belonging to the infraorder Cetacea, including dolphins, porpoises, and whales, characterized by a streamlined body, one or two blowholes, tail flukes, and fin-like forelimbs without hind limbs.e.g.“The tour promised spiritual experiences with humpback whales and other cetaceans, but all we saw were seagulls and a dead sea otter.”Definitions & examples from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 3.0).Words closest in meaningBy meaning, not spelling — each word's AI semantic fingerprint, nearest first.cetaceous 78% match — Relating to whales or more generally to any marine mammal of the infraorder Cetacea. vs cetacean →cetology 73% match — The branch of zoology concerned with the infraorder Cetacea, which includes whales, dolphins, and porpoises. vs cetacean →cetological 70% match — Of or pertaining to cetology. vs cetacean →cetacea 69% match — Whale-like mammals. vs cetacean →cete 67% match — A cetacean. vs cetacean →odontocete 64% match — Any member of the cetacean parvorder Odontoceti; a toothed whale. vs cetacean →cetotheriid 64% match — Any whale in the family Cetotheriidae. vs cetacean →cetartiodactyl 63% match — Any of a large group of animals, of the clade Cetartiodactyla, including the whales and even-toed ungulates. vs cetacean →