English dictionary
baleen
/b/@/'l/i/n/
Definitions, examples, synonyms and antonyms from WordNet 3.0.
noun
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a horny material from the upper jaws of certain whales; used as the ribs of fans or as stays in corsets
Synonyms whaleboneSource: WordNet 3.0
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Plates or blades of "whalebone," from two to twelve feet long, and sometimes a foot wide, which in certain whales (<i>Balænoidea</i>) are attached side by side along the upper jaw, and form a fringelike sieve by which the food is retained in the mouth.
Source: webster1913