|
|
| ba·leen [ bə ln ] |
noun |
|
| Definition: |
| |
horny material on whale's jaw: a horny substance that grows as fringed plates from the upper jaws of some whales, acting to strain food, especially small crustaceans, from the water
|
| [14th century. Via Old French balaine< Latin balaena "whale" < Greek phalaina] |
|