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De - Pt| English Dictionary: porpoise | by the DICT Development Group |
| 2 results for porpoise | |
| From WordNet (r) 3.0 (2006) [wn]: | |
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| From Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913) [web1913]: | |
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Porpoise \Por"poise\, n. [OE. porpeys, OF. porpeis, literally, hog fish, from L. porcus swine + piscis fish. See {Pork}, and {Fish}.] 1. (Zo[94]l.) Any small cetacean of the genus {Phoc[91]na}, especially {P. communis}, or {P. phoc[91]na}, of Europe, and the closely allied American species ({P. 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. (Zo[94]l.) A true dolphin ({Delphinus}); -- often so called by sailors. {Skunk porpoise}, [or] {Bay porpoise} (Zo[94]l.), a North American porpoise ({Lagenorhynchus acutus}), larger than the common species, and with broad stripes of white and yellow on the sides. See Illustration in Appendix. | |
