baleen

Estimated CEFR level: C2 — Proficiency

Estimated from word frequency; not an official CEFR classification.

Definition

  1. noun a horny material from the upper jaws of certain whales; used as the ribs of fans or as stays in corsets

Etymology

From Middle English baleyne, from Old French baleine (“whale, whalebone”), from Latin balaena (“whale”), from Ancient Greek φάλαινα (phálaina, “whale”).

In classic literature

Synonyms

whalebone

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