narwhal means an Arctic toothed whale (Monodon monoceros) that grows to about 20 feet (6 meters) long, the male having a single horn-like tusk, a twisted, pointed cuspid that projects forward.
narwhal is pronounced /ˈnɑːʍəl/.
Why “narwhal” is a great word
A medium-sized, toothed Arctic whale distinguished by the male’s extraordinary, spiraled tusk—a single elongated canine tooth that pierces its upper lip. From Dutch *narwal* or Danish/Norwegian Bokmål *narhval*, from Old Norse *náhvalr*, a compound of *nár* (“corpse”) and *hvalr* (“whale”), a grim moniker likely bestowed for its mottled, ashen-gray skin. Unlike the “beluga,” its pale, tuskless cousin of the same frozen waters, or the “walrus,” the whiskered pinniped with its twin ivories, the narwhal is a creature of pure, aquatic mystery, a living unicorn of the deep. It is the ivory lance glimpsed in a crack of polar ice, the ghostly mottle of its flank against the black water, and the solitary, spiraling horn that has for centuries pierced human imagination—a reminder that the truest wonders are not invented, but discovered, lurking patiently at the very edges of the known world.
Etymology
From Dutch narwal or Danish/Norwegian Bokmål narhval, from Old Norse náhvalr, from nár (“corpse”) + hvalr (“whale”). Compare Icelandic náhvalur.
noun
- An Arctic toothed whale (Monodon monoceros) that grows to about 20 feet (6 meters) long, the male having a single horn-like tusk, a twisted, pointed cuspid that projects forward.e.g.“Moreover, both narwhals and bowheads can occur in late summer in southern Prince Regent Inlet (coming from Lancaster Sound) and may reach Fury and Hecla Strait and northern Foxe Basin.” — 1986, D. E. Sergeant, “Chapter 16: Sea Mammals”, in I. P. Martini, editor, Canadian Inland Seas, page 337:
Definitions & examples from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 3.0).
Words closest in meaning
By meaning, not spelling — each word's AI semantic fingerprint, nearest first.
- narluga 64% match — A hybrid whale, resulting from the crossbreeding of narwhal and beluga whales; but which feed on different prey than either parent species. vs narwhal →
- beluga 60% match — A whale, Delphinapterus leucas, found in the Arctic Ocean. vs narwhal →
- walruslike 58% match — resembling a walrus vs narwhal →
- nordcaper 58% match — A type of baleen whale from the North Atlantic (Balaena mysticetus or Balaena biscayensis). vs narwhal →
- whalish 57% match — Resembling or characteristic of a whale. vs narwhal →
- bowhead 57% match — A large baleen whale, of species Balaena mysticetus, having a large, rounded head, that inhabits Arctic waters. vs narwhal →
- rorqual 56% match — Any whale of family Balaenopteridae, with longitudinal skin folds running from below the mouth to the navel, allowing the capacity of the mouth to expand greatly when feeding. vs narwhal →
- whaleling 56% match — A small or young whale. vs narwhal →