Log in or Sign up

Definitions

American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition

  1. n. Any of several gregarious toothed whales of the genus Phocaena and related genera, of oceanic waters, characteristically having a blunt snout and a triangular dorsal fin. Also called sea hog.
  2. n. Any of several related aquatic mammals, such as the dolphin.

Century Dictionary and Cyclopedia

  1. n. A small toothed cetacean of the family Delphinidæ and subfamily Delphiminæ, and especially of the genus Phoeæna, of which there are several species, the best-known being P. communis, which attains a length of about 5 feet and has a blunt head not produced into a long beak, and a thick body tapering toward the tail. It is common in the North Atlantic, and usually goes in herds or shoals. It feeds almost entirely on fish. A fine oil is prepared from its blubber, and the skin is made into leather; the flesh is eatable. Several genera and numerous species of small cetaceans share the name porpoise, among them the dolphin. See Delphinus, Lagenorhynchus, and Tursiops.

Wiktionary

  1. n. A small cetacean of the family Phocoenidae, related to whales and dolphins.
  2. n. Any small dolphin.
  3. v. Said of an aircraft: to make a series of plunges when taking off or landing.

GNU Webster's 1913

  1. n. Any small cetacean of the genus Phocæna, especially Phocæna communis, or Phocæna phocæna, of Europe, and the closely allied American species (Phocæna Americana). The color is dusky or blackish above, paler beneath. They are closely allied to the dolphins, but have a shorter snout. Called also harbor porpoise, herring hag, puffing pig, and snuffer.
  2. n. A true dolphin (Delphinus); -- often so called by sailors.

WordNet 3.0

  1. n. any of several small gregarious cetacean mammals having a blunt snout and many teeth

Etymologies

  1. Middle English porpeis, from Old French (probably translation of a Germanic compound meaning sea-pig) : porc, pig (from Latin porcus; see porko- in Indo-European roots) + peis, fish (from Latin piscis).

Examples

Show 10 more examples...

Lists

These user-created lists contain the word ‘porpoise’.

More lists containing ‘porpoise’

Comments

Log in or sign up to get involved in the conversation. It's quick and easy.

  • reesetee Outrageous. Jan 31, 2009
  • bilby "Before calling the police, this reporter went to check on the tip, skeptical of a hoax. Sure enough, in the well of the cargo elevator, two feet jutted out above the ice. Closer inspection revealed that the rest of the body was encased in 2-3 feet of ice, the body prostrate, suspended into the ice like a porpoising walrus. The hem of a beige jacket could be made out, as could the cuffs of blue jeans. The socks were relatively clean and white. The left shoe was worn at the heel but carried fresh laces. Adding to the macabre and incongruous scene was a pillow that gently propped up the left foot of the corpse. It looked almost peaceful."
    - Charlie LeDuff, Frozen in indifference: Life goes on around body found in vacant warehouse, The Detroit News, 28 Jan 2009.
    Jan 31, 2009
  • yarb Important areas of the porpoise used for communication are the monkey lips and the melon. Nov 9, 2007

‘porpoise’ has been looked up 1462 times, loved by 3 people, added to 23 lists, commented on 3 times, and has a Scrabble score of 12.