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rorqual (RAWR-kwuhl) - n., any of several baleen whales of the family Balaenopteridae having deep longitudinal furrows on the throat.
Allowing it to greatly expand and so increase the amount of water they can strain through the baleen with a single mouthful. This includes the humpback, blue, minke, fin, and sei whales. Borrowed the early 19th century (first recorded use in 1827) from French, from Norwegian rørkval, from Old Norse reytharhvalr, from reythr (which is either furrow or from rauthr, red) + hvalr, whale. I don't have a dictionary of Old Norse on hand to confirm which theory of dictionaries is correct.
---L.
Allowing it to greatly expand and so increase the amount of water they can strain through the baleen with a single mouthful. This includes the humpback, blue, minke, fin, and sei whales. Borrowed the early 19th century (first recorded use in 1827) from French, from Norwegian rørkval, from Old Norse reytharhvalr, from reythr (which is either furrow or from rauthr, red) + hvalr, whale. I don't have a dictionary of Old Norse on hand to confirm which theory of dictionaries is correct.
---L.
