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Webster 1913 Edition

Whalebone

Whale′boneˊ

,
Noun.
A firm, elastic substance resembling horn, taken from the upper jaw of the right whale; baleen. It is used as a stiffening in stays, fans, screens, and for various other purposes. See
Baleen
.
☞ Whalebone is chiefly obtained from the bowhead, or Greenland, whale, the Biscay whale, and the Antarctic, or southern, whale. It is prepared for manufacture by being softened by boiling, and dyed black.

Webster 1828 Edition

Whalebone

WHALEBONE

,
Noun.
[whale and bone.] A firm elastic substance taken from the upper jaw of the whale, used as a stiffening in stays, fans, screens, &c.

Definition 2024

whalebone

whalebone

English

Noun

whalebone ‎(countable and uncountable, plural whalebones)

  1. The horny material from the fringed plates of the upper jaw of baleen whales that are used to filter plankton; once used as stays in corsets
    • 1954, Alexander Alderson, chapter 5, in The Subtle Minotaur:
      “You have probably never seen anything like this before, Mr. Toler. It is baleen, or if you prefer it, whalebone, taken from the mouth of the bowhead whale. It is used by the whale to filter its food.”

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