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Webster 1913 Edition

cachalot

cach′a-lot

,
Noun.
[F.
cachalot
.]
(Zoöl.)
The sperm whale (
Physeter macrocephalus
). It has in the top of its head a large cavity, containing an oily fluid, which, after death, concretes into a whitish crystalline substance called
spermaceti
. See
Sperm whale
.

Webster 1828 Edition

Cachalot

CACHALOT

,
Noun.
A cetaceous fish, the physeter or spermaceti whale. The principal species are, the black headed with a dorsal fin, and the round-headed with a dorsal fin, and the round-headed, with out a fin on the back, and with a fistula in the snout. From this whale is obtained the spermaceti.

Definition 2024

cachalot

cachalot

English

Noun

cachalot ‎(plural cachalots)

  1. The sperm whale.
    • 2011, Richard Shelton, "Sheep, pig, whale", Times Literary Supplement, 22 Sep 2011:
      A flexible rib cage facilitates the collapse of the lungs of a diving cachalot (a synonym derived from an old French word for tooth), so reducing the nitrogen uptake which is responsible for decompression sickness in diving humans, while high levels of haemoglobin in the blood and myoglobin in the skeletal muscles carry the oxygen required to sustain long periods between breaths.

Translations

French

Pronunciation

  • IPA(key): /kaʃalo/

Noun

cachalot m ‎(plural cachalots)

  1. sperm whale

Etymology

From French cachalot, from Spanish and Portuguese cachalote, from cachola ‎(“big head”)

Pronunciation

  • (UK) IPA(key): /ˈkaʃəlɒt/, /ˈkaʃələʊ/
  • (US) IPA(key): /ˈkæ.ʃə.ˌlɑt/

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