Definition

1. Noun:
   • A flexible, horn-like material that grows in plates from the upper jaws of certain whale species, used to filter food from water.

Usage

• Noun:
  • Baleen is a key anatomical feature of filter-feeding whales.
  • Historically, baleen was a valuable commodity, used to make various stiff but flexible items.

Examples

• The blue whale, the largest animal on Earth, feeds by taking in huge volumes of water and filtering out krill through its baleen.
• In the 19th century, baleen was commonly used in the manufacture of corset stays and umbrella ribs.
• Scientists can study a whale's diet and migration patterns by analyzing the growth layers in its baleen plates.

Advanced Usage

• "Baleen whale": The common term for any whale belonging to the scientific suborder Mysticeti, characterized by having baleen instead of teeth.
  • The humpback whale is a well-known type of baleen whale.

Variants and Related Words

• Whalebone: A traditional synonym for baleen, reflecting its historical use.
  • The antique corset was reinforced with strips of whalebone.

Synonyms

• Whalebone

Notes on Meaning

• Primary Meaning: The biological filter-feeding structure in mysticete whales.
• Historical/Commercial Meaning: The harvested material from these whales, used in manufacturing before the advent of plastics. This usage is now largely obsolete due to conservation efforts.

Noun

1. a horny material from the upper jaws of certain whales; used as the ribs of fans or as stays in corsets