porpoise

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A dolphin and a porpoise were also found dead Wednesday in Brewster, but no further details were available.

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Definitions (9)

Toggle American Heritage definitions American Heritage Dictionary (2)

  1. noun 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. noun Any of several related aquatic mammals, such as the dolphin.

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Examples

  • A dolphin and a porpoise were also found dead Wednesday in Brewster, but no further details were available. —  News for turnto10.com
  • Given an abundant source of food and the fact that the porpoise was able to navigate itself to avoid the team's nets, Schoelkopf said that he felt the porpoise was healthy enough and that they wouldn't pursue any further action. —  Press of Atlantic City: Editorials
  • I always fancied that a porpoise was a great fat lumbering sleepy animal, simply because people are accustomed to say "as fat as a porpoise." —  My First Voyage to Southern Seas
  • Well, anyway, it's a porpoise, and a porpoise is a kind of shark, isn't it? —  Europe Revised
  • "This," exclaimed he, "if I mistake not, augurs well; the porpoise is a fat, well-conditioned fish, a burgomaster among fishes; his looks betoken ease, plenty, and prosperity; I greatly admire this round fat fish, and doubt not but this is a happy omen of the success of our undertaking." —  Journeys Through Bookland, Vol. 8
 

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Porpoise has been looked up 254 times, favorited once, listed 21 times, and commented on 3 times.

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Etymologies (2)

Toggle American Heritage etymologies American Heritage Dictionary (1)

  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).

Toggle Century etymologies Century Dictionary (1)

  1. Formerly also porpess, porpus, porposs, porpass, porpas, porpesse, porpese, porpaise, porpice, purpose, purpesse, porepisce; from ME.porpeys, purpeys, from AF.porpeis, purpeis, Old French porpeis, porpeys, porpais, porpaiz, porpaix, porpois, pourpais, pourpois, F. dial, pourpeis (Middle Latin porpecia) (= Portuguese peixe porco = Old Italian pesce porco, in transposed order), literally ‘hog-fish,’ from Latin porcus, a hog, + piscis = English fish: see pork and fish. Cf. Italian Spanish puerco marino = Italian porco marino, porpoise, literally ‘sea-hog’: see pork and marine.
 

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/ˈpɔrpəs/
by American Heritage

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